Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi was confronted by angry members of the public and pressed by a Sky News journalist on Monday over her past rhetoric on Israel and antisemitism, as she visited the site of the Bondi Beach massacre in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration event.
At one point, a bystander shouted at Faruqi, accusing her of having “blood” on her hands, as Sky News host Sharri Markson questioned the senator about whether the Greens’ support for pro-Palestinian protests had contributed to rising antisemitism in Australia.
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi was confronted by angry members of the public
“Blood’s on your hands, shame on you,” the man shouted, as Faruqi stood near the memorial site.
Faruqi, a federal Greens senator from New South Wales, arrived at Bondi Beach alongside state Greens MP Abigail Boyd. Earlier in the day, Greens Sen. David Shoebridge had also visited the site to lay flowers.
Police and intelligence officials have classified Sunday’s shooting as an act of terrorism. Authorities said father and son Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, opened fire for several minutes on a crowd attending a public Jewish Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. The New South Wales government said the attack was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah.”
Markson approached Faruqi during her visit, asking whether she believed that support for pro-Palestinian protests had helped create a climate in which such an attack could occur.
Markson asked whether Faruqi felt she had fuelled the “antisemitism crisis by [her] aggressive rhetoric over the past two years.”
Faruqi responded that she was in Bondi “to mourn.”
As Markson continued questioning her, she pointed to chants heard at some pro-Palestinian protests in Australia, including calls for “death to the IDF” and “intifada.”
Markson asked how such protests could “lead to anything else, other than the terror attack that we saw here last night,” and whether Faruqi regretted attending them.
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The post Faruqi was forced to delete in 2024: At a protest beside a sign that 'throws Israel in the trash'
“Today is about heart and humanity for those who have lost their loved ones, for those who have been injured,” Faruqi said.
Boyd added: “Today’s a day for grieving, not politics.”
“We shouldn’t be grieving,” Markson replied.
The exchange came amid continued scrutiny of Faruqi’s public positions since the war in Gaza began. The senator has been a vocal critic of Israel, has called for sanctions against it, and has repeatedly expressed support for pro-Palestinian demonstrations across Australia.
Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke arrived at the scene of the massacre at the Bondi Pavilion on the bloodstained beach, received a briefing on what happened there yesterday, and paid tribute to the victims. As he passed Sky News Australia cameras, voices could be heard shouting at him, “Shame on you” and “Blood on your hands!”
In 2024, Faruqi faced criticism after posting, then quickly deleting, an image of herself with pro-Palestinian university protesters, one of whom appeared to be holding a sign showing an Israeli flag in a rubbish bin with the slogan: “keep the world clean.”
More recently, in July 2025, Faruqi was censured in the Senate after protesting the governor-general’s address to parliament by holding up a Gaza protest sign. She was subsequently barred from participating in overseas parliamentary delegations for the remainder of the 48th Parliament.
Following Sunday’s attack, Faruqi posted a statement on social media condemning the violence.
“I’m absolutely devastated by the horrific violence at Bondi Beach tonight. This is an appalling and unforgivable act of violence,” she wrote.
“My thoughts are especially with the Jewish community.
“My heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones and those who were injured and my immense gratitude to the first responders who have risked their lives to keep our communities safe.”
Faruqi has previously accused major political parties of downplaying antisemitism while, in her view, overstating the threat posed by pro-Palestinian activists. In September, she said in parliament that anti-immigration marches attended by neo-Nazi demonstrators caused “real-world impact and real harm.”
“These anti-immigration marches don’t happen in a vacuum,” she said at the time.
Monday’s confrontation unfolded against the backdrop of heightened tension and grief in Sydney, as the Jewish community and the wider public continue to grapple with the aftermath of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years.