Man charged over flag and gestures on Bondi footbridge

A 53-year-old man has been charged after allegedly hanging a flag from the pedestrian bridge at Bondi Beach where 15 people were murdered in December, and performing offensive hand gestures.

Police from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command and Operation Shelter began investigating after receiving complaints about the man’s actions on the Campbell Parade bridge about 3pm on Friday, NSW Police said.

He was arrested and taken to Surry Hills Police Station, where he was charged with behaving in an offensive manner in or near a public place. Police refused bail and he was due to appear before Bail Division Court 7 on Saturday. Police did not detail what the gestures were.

Unverified images on social media appear to show it was a Palestinian flag that was unfurled.

ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the incident was a reminder of what the community continues to face. “Whether this is an act of evil or deep mental sickness, it serves to remind the nation that there are people out there who delight in the torment and pain of our community,” Ryvchin said.

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) wrote on Facebook, “Have we reached the point where even the site of a massacre of Jews cannot be treated with basic decency and respect?”

It is not the first such case on the bridge. In April, Zayne Jason William McMillan was sentenced to 12 months in jail, with a non-parole period of nine months, after mimicking shooting from the bridge and yelling abuse at passers-by. He pleaded guilty to three counts of offensive behaviour and two of intimidation.