Anthony Albanese has faced backlash for spending two hours playing tennis the day after a terror attack at a synagogue in Melbourne – with some calling it his ‘Hawaii moment’.
Photos captured on Saturday at the Cottesloe Tennis Club in Perth show Mr Albanese decked out in full tennis whites, while playing in the sun.
Mr Albanese has been widely criticised for failing to visit the site of the Adass Israel synagogue attack in Ripponlea, and for taking 48 hours to label it a terrorist event.
The game took place during the same weekend that Mr Albanese’s government was slammed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused Labor of fostering a surge in anti-Semitism in .
Now many Aussies are slamming what they say was an ill-timed moment of leisure – with media personality Neil Mitchell comparing the PM’s tennis game to former prime minister Scott Morrison’s trip to Hawaii during the Black Summer bushfires.
‘Is this ScoMo in Hawaii? Albo could’ve been in Caulfield.’
Mr Albanese spoke in defence of the match on Monday: ‘I had six meetings on Saturday, and after they concluded, I did some exercise.
‘That’s what people do. On Saturday morning, I was in a synagogue. I’ve seen some comments in the media about why there wasn’t media coverage there.
‘That’s because it was Shabbat and as people can confirm, photos and electronic information wasn’t available then.
‘I attended the bat mitzvah of a young boy there, and I was very much welcomed there.’
The n Jewish Association said ‘anti-Semitism has surged’ under Anthony Albanese’s government.
‘Labor has stood by as ugly antisemitic protests have taken over our streets, week after week,’ CEO Robert Gregory said.
‘They have stood by as ‘Free Palestine’ extremists have targeted Jewish Synagogues and schools. There was an antisemitic protest outside Sydney’s Great Synagogue, just this week.
‘Labor has stood by as extremist Islamic preachers have preached toxic antisemitism. They have stood by as Jews were assaulted in the street and our universities were taken over by anti-Jewish radicals, setting up encampments.’
The terror attack took place just days after pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside The Great Synagogue in Sydney on Wednesday night, as members of the Jewish community were holed up inside.
The group shouted ‘Palestine will be free’ and held up a slogan calling for the eradication of the state of Israel.
Sky News reported that when police arrived on the scene, the synagogue was in lockdown with those inside unable to leave.
Last month, celebrity chef Matt Moran’s Chiswick restaurant was vandalised with anti-Israel slurs along with several cars in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra.
Multiple cars were daubed with white spray paint that read ‘f*** Israel’.
Israel’s war in Gaza was sparked by listed terror group Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1200 people and 250 hostages taken, according to Israel’s tallies.
The official death toll in Gaza has eclipsed 44,000, according to the local health ministry, with tens of thousands more missing or believed to be buried under rubble.
More to come…