Numerous individuals and organizations around the world are condemning the Bondi Beach tragedy in Sydney, Australia, where 15 people lost their lives, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi, and a Holocaust survivor.
The brutal attack was perpetrated by two people, a father and son, against members of a Jewish community gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights in the Hebrew calendar.
The courageous actions of a Muslim citizen, Ahmad al-Ahmad, who attempted to disarm the attackers and was wounded in the process, prevented further deaths.
Among the voices expressing their condemnation of the tragic event, we find that of the humanist Decler Mendez Hague – himself an immigrant of Chilean origin – who, in a vibrant plea through social networks, urges the rejection of the different forms that violence takes and the construction of a different world from a non-violent attitude.
“The Bondi Beach tragedy leaves us with so many unanswered questions. Emotions of confusion, profound sadness, fear, and despair. We, the people, along with governments of the East, West, South, and North, must be held accountable: Violence is not and never will be an answer, but a causal chain that never ends,” he stated.
“There is not only physical violence, but also domestic violence, racial violence, economic violence, psychological violence, religious violence, gender-based violence, moral violence, and sexual violence.
A world without any kind of violence is what we yearn for and is at the heart of our efforts; this is a shared task for all of us and for future generations!
Nonviolence is the only answer! – ALWAYS!
May peace be in the hearts of the families directly affected.
Finally, we admire and pay our respects to the Australian Muslim father of two who intervened, possibly saving many lives. This is my beautiful adopted country. May he recover fully!,” he exclaimed.
