A Sydney area man was charged on Friday for his role in a Bondi Beach brawl that broke out between anti-Israel protesters and pro-Israel counter-protesters last Sunday, the New South Wales Police announced.
The 29-year-old Edmonson Park resident was charged with affray and common assault, and after being granted conditional bail was set to appear at the Liverpool Local Court on October 9.
It is unclear which camp the suspect was part of, but local pro-Israel organizers are unaware of the arrest of a community member. Edmonson Park, which is almost 20% Muslim according to a 2021 census, is a distance from Bondi Beach, which has a high concentration of Jewish Australians.
NSW police are continuing their investigation into the brawl, on Tuesday, appealing for public assistance. Law enforcement released an image of two men that "may be able to assist them with their inquiries."
The Father's Day protest devolved into a brawl, after a contingent of anti-Israel activists ignored Jewish groups that expressed concern about the allegedly provocative nature of holding a demonstration in an area with a high concentration of Jewish Australians.
There were no arrests at the time of the brawl, but officers maintained a heavy at the event organized by Jews Against the Occupation 48 Australia in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The flotilla of dozens of vessels intends to run the Israeli naval blockade around Gaza, but has been stalled in Tunisia.
Hundreds of pro-Israel activists gather to counter-protest
Hundreds of pro-Israel activists with Israeli and Australian flags gathered to counter-protest, contending that they had lost their patience with pro-terrorist flags, slogans, and intimidation in their neighborhoods.
Anti-Israel Jewish activist Judith Treanor wrote for the Green Left on Friday that those who gathered to honor Gazan children and parents who had lost their fathers or children were confronted by a supposed far-right mob. Treanor claimed that the anti-Israel activists were denigrated as terrorists and rapists, but also questioned how many of the counter-protesters had or would serve in the IDF and participate in "genocide."
"You can stick your Palestine up your a**hole," pro-Israel activists chanted in one social media video.
Treanor accused counter-protesters of antisemitism, giving the example of some mocking anti-Zionist Jews by asking if they would be attending synagogue services on Shabbat. Treanor asserted that many of the activists were Jewish.
Pro-Israel activists charged that there was a small contingent of anti-Zionist Jews who were being used as cover by the broader anti-Israel movement to operate in a heavily Jewish area. Pro Israel groups Lions of Zions and StandWithUs Australia said in social media posts that they would not allow hatred and support for terrorism to be brought into their "back yard." Videos showed anti-Israel activists making threatening gestures and crude remarks.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman expressed concern to 2GB the Friday before the protest, asserting that a protest at Bondi Beach was meant to be "provocative and to intimidate the Jewish community."
Waverley Council Mayor Will Nemesh was against the protest, telling Sky News on September 4 that action should be taken against the beach protest if it were to be held.