Former NRL media personality Tiffany Salmond has called for Australians to follow New Zealand’s lead when it comes to the alleged gunmen who targeted Bondi Beach on December 15.
The men were involved in an alleged mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more in what police described as a terrorist attack.
The alleged shooters were identified as father and son Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, who allegedly opened fire on the crowd before police intervened.
Sajid Akram was shot dead at the scene, while Naveed Akram was critically wounded, taken to hospital under guard, and later charged with multiple offences including murder and terrorism.
Salmond was just metres from the alleged gunmen at the time and had to flee and take refuge in a nearby police station.
Now she is calling for Australians to make a big change to their reaction to the atrocity after being inspired by New Zealand’s actions after the Christchurch massacre.
Former NRL sideline reporter Tiffany Salmond is pictured while she was caught up in the mass shooting at Bondi
Salmond was forced to flee the area and take refuge in a local police station at Bondi along with about 50 other people
Salmond has spoken about her ordeal and now wants Australian media to make a big change
‘In the aftermath of something this horrific, we’re all searching for answers,’ she posted to Instagram.
‘But one truth we can’t ignore is that these men don’t just want to be named, seen and remembered.
‘And right now, Australian media is giving him exactly what he wants.’
The 2019 Christchurch terror attack saw Australian extremist Brenton Tarrant open fire at two mosques in New Zealand, killing 51 people and injuring dozens during Friday prayers.
Tarrant was arrested at the scene and later sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Now Salmond wants Australians to follow the lead of New Zealand and stop publishing the names of both Akram family members, like her home country did with Tarrant.
‘Stop showing his face. Stop saying his name. Stop rewarding [alleged] violence with attention,’ she said.
‘New Zealand made a powerful, united decision after the 2019 Christchurch terror attack.
Salmond showed an aerial view of the area and where she was standing when the alleged attack began
Fifteen innocent people died in the mass shooting, including a 10-year-old girl
Salmond urged the media to follow the example of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) after she took action in the wake of the Christchurch massacre
‘After the gunman’s name was initially reported, media followed the now-former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s lead by refusing to name or acknowledge his identity.
‘And that is the greatest punishment for men like this. Being forgotten. A faceless shadow with no frame, no legacy, and no oxygen.
‘That’s how we take the power back.’
Salmond previously described her terror while fleeing from the gunshots that rang out across Bondi Beach that Sunday.
‘I was about 10 metres from the [alleged] shooters. Literally said goodbye to [an associate] and then the gunshots started going off,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘Sprinted to the police station and hid there for a while with everyone. Home safe now though. Horrific.’
Speaking to the Daily Mail the day after the tragedy, Salmond said her fear was compounded by not knowing where the alleged shooters were as she tried to escape the terrifying situation.
‘I didn’t know how close I was to the [alleged] shooters until I got home later and saw they were on the bridge that I was only about 20 metres from them,’ she said.
Tributes continue to pour in for the families and friends of those that lost their lives (pictured, the Bondi Pavilion after the alleged shootings)
‘Running away from the gunshots was terrifying because I had no idea where they were coming from.
‘But I’m just devastated and heartbroken for the victims and their families and the Jewish community. It’s all so shocking.’
Salmond returned to Bondi Beach last Monday, where she spoke with Sunrise host Natalie Barr.
She described the confusion that rapidly turned to panic as thousands of beachgoers ran for their lives.
[I heard] just a massive bang,’ Salmond said.
‘It sounded like a gunshot, but you don’t expect to hear a gun go off at Bondi Beach.
‘I was assuming it was a car backfiring, so I turned around and looked at the road assuming that’s what it was.
‘But then it went off again and I looked around and people were running and that was kind of the moment I knew it wasn’t a car, it was a gun going off.
‘That was a terrifying moment.
‘Everyone was running, it was like a stampede.
‘Everyone off the beach, the hills, everywhere, the footpath, everyone was running for their lives, literally.
‘And I just knew I needed to get away.’
