Australia’s spy chief, Mike Burgess of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), tells a public inquiry that antisemitism in Australia is left “unchecked” after the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. Speaking at hearings connected to the wide-ranging Royal Commission investigating the events leading up to the Bondi Beach mass shooting, Burgess says antisemitic incidents increased in severity in the months before the attack.
According to accounts from multiple outlets, Burgess links the post–Gaza-war period to a rise from intimidation and harassment to direct targeting of Jewish people. He cites incidents including vandalism and arson directed at homes, schools, and synagogues. The comments come as part of the inquiry into the December Bondi attack, which kills 15 people attending a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.
The reporting characterizes Burgess’s testimony as an assessment of how antisemitic conduct and related violence developed in the lead-up to the shooting, and as a submission on what authorities did or did not address during that period.
