Australian journalist says government unity calls 'mean nothing' after Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney

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Australian journalist says government unity calls 'mean nothing' after Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney

Bondi Beach shooting witness Erin Molan warns leaders' 'weakness breeds violence' as Jews remain 'terrified'

Max Bacall Fox News

Published

December 22, 2025 10:52am EST

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Australia PM booed at Sydney vigil amid backlash over antisemitism response

Podcast host and Bondi Beach shooting witness Erin Molan joins 'Fox & Friends' to weigh in on Australia’s response to the attack amid the rise in antisemitic incidents worldwide.

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An Australian journalist who witnessed the antisemitic terror attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney warned that government calls for unity are meaningless without consequences for extremism, arguing that inaction has emboldened bad actors and left Jewish communities "terrified" and "traumatized."

"Words mean nothing if the people that you're trying to instill fear into or warn don't believe what you're saying because your actions don't back them up," Erin Molan said Monday on "Fox & Friends."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at vigil after Hanukkah terror attack

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his wife Jodie Haydon attend the memorial held for the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday. (Saeed Khan / AFP via Getty Images)

Molan, who has repeatedly warned about rising antisemitism in Australia, rejected unity rhetoric outright after witnessing the Dec. 14 attack on Bondi Beach, saying that words without action fail to deter those who want to kill Jews and only expose government weakness.

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She pointed to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's appearance at a vigil for the victims of the Hanukkah assault, where he was booed by attendees.

"Our prime minister keeps calling for unity. That's great, but guess what? The enemy who wants to kill us doesn't care about unity," she said.

"If you're not willing to do the hard stuff to wipe out an enemy that's trying to kill you, then none of that will count. It won't keep our people safe."

A Hanukkah menorah memorial drawn for the victims of the Australia Bondi Beach mass shooting

People walk past a memorial drawn on the wall of a walking bridge as a tribute Friday following the Dec. 14 shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney. (Steve Markham/AP Photo)

Molan said increasing abuse and harassment of Jews "has been completely ignored" by the Australian government, citing the antisemitic chants outside the Sydney Opera House immediately following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in Israel, as well as later demonstrations on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

AFTER AUSTRALIA’S HANUKKAH MASSACRE, CRITICS SAY APPEASING EXTREMISTS AFTER OCT 7 FUELED RISING ANTISEMITISM

She claimed authorities failed to respond decisively as terrorist flags were waved, synagogues were firebombed with people inside, Jewish schools were vandalized and cars were set alight outside Jewish homes.

Australian PM Albanese booed at Bondi Beach memorial amid backlash

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She also criticized moves by Western governments to recognize a Palestinian state, saying such steps reward Hamas for the Oct. 7 massacre.

"Our government has completely capitulated and been praised by terrorist organizations, by Hamas," she said.

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Molan maintained that no one who celebrated violence against Jews has faced consequences.

"Has one person, Brian, who celebrated death, waved a terrorist flag and chanted for people to kill Jews, paid a price in this country? No," she told host Brian Kilmeade. "And therein lies the problem. Weakness breeds violence."

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Australian journalist says government unity calls 'mean nothing' after Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney