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A man has been charged after allegedly making shooting gestures while displaying a Palestinian flag on the bridge used by terrorists during the Bondi Beach Chanukah massacre.
The 53-year-old was arrested on Friday after police received complaints about a man hanging a flag from the Campbell Parade footbridge in Sydney, where gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish celebration last December.
New South Wales Police said officers began investigating after receiving reports of offensive hand gestures at around 3pm.
The man was taken to Surry Hills Police Station and charged with behaving in an offensive manner in or near a public place.
He was refused bail by police and was due to appear before Bail Division Court 7 on Saturday.
Police did not specify what gestures were allegedly made, but a witness told Australian outlet News24 that the man had mimicked firing a shotgun from the bridge.
“The most galling part was when I walked past him, he made shotgun gestures with his hands off the side of the bridge,” the witness said.
“He did three motions of shooting a gun with his hands.”
Jewish community leaders condemned the incident, with Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin warning that it highlighted the continued hostility faced by Australian Jews.
“Whether this is an act of evil or deep mental sickness, it serves to remind the nation that there are people out there who delight in the torment and pain of our community,” he said.
Australian Jewish Association president Robert Gregory described the incident as a “sickening insult” to the victims and their families.
“Jewish Australians were slaughtered by terrorists at Bondi Beach, and now, just two days after the anniversary of 7 October, someone has unfurled a Palestinian flag at the very site of that massacre. It is a sickening insult to the victims, their families and the entire Jewish community.”
He added: “Even in death, it seems Australian Jews cannot be afforded dignity and respect.”
It is not the first time someone has been prosecuted over offensive behaviour on the bridge.
In April, Zayne Jason William McMillan was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with a nine-month non-parole period, after mimicking shooting gestures and shouting abuse at passers-by.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of offensive behaviour and two counts of intimidation.
The bridge was used by father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram during the 14 December 2025 terror attack, when they opened fire on families celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach.
Fifteen people were killed, and dozens were injured. Sajid was shot dead by police, while Naveed was wounded and arrested.
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