TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer Clarifies ‘Incorrect’ Speculation Bondi Mall Stabbing Spree Was ‘Islamist Terror Attack’
Hartley-Brewer retracted her claim that Australia’s Bondi Junction stabbing incident was “another terror attack by another Islamist terrorist.” (Screengrab via TalkTV)
TalkTV host Julia Hartley-Brewer retracted her claim that Australia’s Bondi Junction stabbing incident was “another terror attack by another Islamist terrorist” after it was revealed the killer was a suspect was a Queensland resident with a mental illness.
The attack at Bondi Junction mall in Sydney left six dead and several injured, including a baby, before that attacker, later identified as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, was shot dead by police.
Almost immediately, right-wing commentators and activists, including Tommy Robinson, began speculating that the rampage was an Islamist attack.
Reacting to the attack on Saturday, Hartley-Brewer wrote on X: “Another day. Another terror attack by another Islamist terrorist. Six dead, others seriously injured, including a baby. Today it’s Australia’s turn, the other day it was France’s. It’ll be our turn again next. How long do our governments think we’re going to put up with this?”
https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/status/1779089461839569201
Users on X objected to the claim, accusing Hartley-Brewer of being a “racist” and that her characterisation was “a mask slip moment” – suggesting she had shown her true agenda.
The tweet was further flagged by readers’ who added a community note that explained that at the time “no link to Islam has been reported” and that the “Police Commissioner of NSW said police will investigate if the attacker was targeting women.”
In response, the TalkTV host said: “I couldn’t care less what colour skin someone has. I DO care about what is inside people’s heads. Islamist ideology is the problem, not Muslim people.”
Quoting her original tweet, Hartley-Brewer wrote: “My tweet below was incorrect. The attack in Sydney was not an Islamist terror attack, it was carried out by a man the police have since named as Joel Cauchi who they say had mental health problems not an ideological motive. I doubt that will be much consolation to the families of his victims.”
In the wake of the attack, the Guardian reported that the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN) were gathering examples of “xenophobic and racist” remarks made following the attack.
“Because of the high emotion triggered by the actions, we see people’s real sentiment and prejudice come to the fore,” an AMAN spokesperson told the newspaper. “It’s really important for social media platforms and media companies to moderate those threads and those posts.”
