Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday announced plans for a national bravery award to recognize civilians and first responders who confronted “the worst of evil” during an anti-Semitic terror attack that left 15 dead and has cast a heavy shadow over the nation’s holiday season.
Albanese said he plans to establish a special honors system for those who placed themselves in harm’s way to help during the attack on a beachside Hanukkah celebration, like Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian Muslim who disarmed one of the assailants before being wounded himself.
Sajid Akram, who was killed by police during the Dec. 14 attack, and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, are accused of perpetrating Australia’s worst massacre since 1996.
Photo: EPA
Speaking at a news conference after a Christmas Day lunch at a charitable foundation in Sydney, Albanese described a Christmas defined by a sharp contrast between extremist violence and the “best of humanity.”
“This Christmas is a different one because of the anti-terror and the terrorist attack motivated by ISIS [the Islamic State group] and anti-Semitism,” Albanese said. “But at the same time as we have seen the worst of humanity, we have seen the bravery and kindness and compassion ... from those who rushed to danger.”
The proposed honors would recognize those who are nominated and recommended for bravery or meritorious awards under the existing Australian honors and awards system for their actions during and after the attack.
Just a day after pushing through the country’s toughest firearm laws, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns yesterday issued a plea for national solidarity, urging Australians to support their Jewish neighbors during what he described as two weeks of
“heartbreak and pain.”
“Everybody in Australia needs to wrap their arms around them and lift them up,” Minns said. “I want them to know that Australians have got their back. We’re in their corner and we’re going to help them get through this.”
The gun reforms which passed through the New South Wales state legislature on Wednesday include capping individual gun ownership at four guns and reclassifying high-risk weapons like pump-action firearms.
The legislation also tightens licensing by reducing permit terms to two years, restricting ownership to Australian citizens and removing the review pathway for license denials.
“Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but we can’t fail to act on restricting access to weapons which could lead to further violence against our citizens,” Minns said earlier in the week when introducing the proposed laws.
Other new laws would ban the public display of terrorist symbols and grant police expanded powers to restrict public gatherings in specific areas following terrorist incidents.
Albanese has also announced plans to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws.
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