UN Chief "Horrified" by Sydney Attack, Calls Out Anti-Semitism on First Night of Hanukkah
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the “heinous deadly attack” on Jewish families in Sydney, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community worldwide as the massacre occurred on the first night of Hanukkah.
The International Response
Within hours of the Bondi Beach attack, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a public condemnation.
“I am horrified by the heinous deadly attack against Jewish families gathered in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate Hanukkah,” Guterres wrote on social media on Sunday, December 14.
“My heart is with the Jewish community worldwide on this first day of Hanukkah, a festival celebrating the miracle of peace and light vanquishing darkness.”
The UN’s Official Position
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq released a formal statement expanding on Guterres’s remarks.
The Secretary-General “expressed solidarity with the people and Government of Australia, and with the Jewish community in the country and worldwide,” according to the statement.
The UN “unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms and reiterates that attacks on religious communities and peaceful celebrations strike at the core values of tolerance, coexistence and human dignity.”
The Timing
Guterres was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia when the attack occurred. He was there to address the 11th World Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) — an initiative established 20 years ago to promote respect and understanding between cultures and religions.
The forum’s focus on inter-religious dialogue made the attack’s timing particularly stark.
UNAOC High Representative Miguel Ángel Moratinos also condemned the attack: “I am appalled... I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”
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