A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for mimicking the Bondi Beach terror attack and directing antisemitic slurs at Jewish people. Zayne Jason William McMillan was heavily intoxicated when he and a friend visited Bondi Beach six weeks after the shooting that killed 15 people.
On 31 January, McMillan posed on the same footbridge involved in the attack, pretending to hold a long-arm firearm while his friend took photographs. He then launched a 35-minute tirade, singling out Jewish individuals with racist remarks. Judge Michael Barko noted that McMillan did not refer to any other faith, belief, or culture during the incident.
McMillan also intimidated a 47-year-old man walking with his family, threatening him with violence and claiming ownership of the land. He later targeted a visibly Jewish man and his son, yelling antisemitic abuse as they walked to a synagogue. The bricklayer from Dubbo pleaded guilty to three counts of offensive behaviour and two counts of intimidation.
Defence barrister Stephen Alexander argued that McMillan did not consider himself racist, but the judge rejected this, citing the exclusive focus on Jewish people. McMillan was on parole at the time and had consumed alcohol, ketamine, MDMA, and magic mushrooms. He will serve a non-parole period of nine months.
