Jewish Australians will mark the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks this Wednesday, navigating a landscape of heightened security fears and political tension. As peak Jewish bodies hold commemorative events across Australia’s capital cities, Labor state governments have voiced strong condemnation of concurrent vigils planned by pro-Palestinian groups.
The October 7, 2023, attacks saw Hamas militants kill approximately 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and take 251 others hostage. The subsequent conflict has resulted in a massive death toll, with reports indicating 74,000 Palestinians have been killed during the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
For many Jewish Australians, Wednesday’s anniversary serves as a painful reminder of the trauma of that day and the rise in antisemitism that followed. Citing ongoing safety concerns—which have been acute since the Bondi terror attack last December—community organizations have chosen to keep the locations of most commemorative events private.
In Sydney, a dawn service is scheduled for 6:29 a.m., marking the exact time the Hamas assault began, followed by an evening community event hosted by the Zionist Council of NSW. Similar commemorations are set for Canberra and Perth, where attendees will view After Never Again, a documentary exploring the experiences of Israeli trauma professionals.
However, the day is also set to be marked by pro-Palestinian gatherings, sparking friction with government leaders. In Melbourne, a “sit-in vigil” is planned outside the State Library of Victoria. Victorian Premier Ben Carroll warned that while the right to assembly exists, police would intervene to “protect the public” should the event cross the line into anti-vilification law violations.
In New South Wales, the response has been equally pointed. Premier Chris Minns described the decision to hold pro-Palestinian vigils on the anniversary of the attacks as “obscene,” suggesting the timing is a deliberate attempt to antagonize the Jewish community.
“To choose that day, I think it’s designed to antagonise large sections of our community,” Minns told reporters. While the Premier expressed distress on behalf of the Jewish community, he acknowledged that legal precedents regarding political communication make it difficult for the government to unilaterally shut down such gatherings, provided they remain peaceful.
Organizers of a “Jews Against The Occupation ‘48” vigil in Sydney insisted their event is not a protest but a solemn marking of the start of Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza. Meanwhile, the broader movement is planning further rallies across more than a dozen Australian cities this Sunday as part of a “global day of action.”
As the anniversary dawns, law enforcement across the country remains on high alert, preparing to manage the volatile intersection of grief, protest, and political expression.
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