Australian social media users accused "Islamists" of celebrating the Bondi Beach mass shooting at a Sydney suburb, sharing a video of fireworks going off, which officials said was in fact for Christmas celebrations.
The footage is among several threads of misinformation that have emerged online in the aftermath of Sunday's shooting at Australia's most famous surf beach, which authorities have labelled as an anti-Semitic terrorist attack on a Jewish festival.
The gunmen targeted an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, authorities said, killing 15 people and wounding 42.
Provocative claims gain traction
A video soon circulated showing fireworks going off into the night sky, and by Monday morning had spread to India, Britain and the United States.
"(The people) we have let into our country are now setting off fireworks in Bankstown, celebrating the Bondi Massacre of our Jewish citizens," said one Australian-based user, referring to a southwestern Sydney suburb.
Deploying dehumanising language in an X post that was reposted over 750 times, the user also asked: "Why aren't the Police arresting (them)?"
Others on Facebook claimed the video showed "Islamists setting off fireworks in Sydney to celebrate the terrorist attack against the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach".
Local group debunks accusations
But while there were indeed fireworks on Sunday evening around Canterbury Bankstown — the name of the area comprising several suburbs — a local community organisation said the display was for Christmas celebrations.
"The fireworks were part of our annual Christmas Carols event, this event and the fireworks display were planned months in advance," said the Rotary Club of Padstow, a suburb adjacent to Bankstown.
"They were not in any way related to the terrorist attack at Bondi," the Rotary Club said, adding that the colourful display happens yearly.
The southwestern suburb of Bankstown is one of Sydney's most culturally diverse areas, with its website touting that it has residents of more than 120 nationalities — though it is increasingly the target of anti-immigration rhetoric.
But the posts sharing the footage also drew responses from people within the community, confirming that it was a local Christmas carols event.
"Purposefully sharing misinformation to spark hate is disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself," said one X user from the neighbouring Belmore suburb.
