‘Motives unknown’: A critical discourse analysis of the Bondi attack – terrorism, mental health or misogyny?

Content note: This article explores issues of terrorism, themes of mental health and violence against women. These subjects may be upsetting for some readers . Violence and violent attacks are a public health concern and innately capture the attention of the public, evoking diverse perspectives on why they occurred and solutions to mitigate their recurrence. This study sought to uncover dominant public discourses relating to a mass violence incident in Sydney, Australia, referred to as the ‘Bondi Attack,’ where 16 people were stabbed. In total, six people were killed, five of whom were women, in the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre. This research, through a feminist lens, analysed public textual discourse on social networking and media platforms. Four major themes were uncovered. (1) Imminent threat: Terrorism, race and religion; (2) Failures, media and government; (3) People with mental illness – and questions of capacity; (4) Pointing the finger, who is to blame? The study demonstrates normalised theoretical assumptions and deeply embedded ideologies around terrorism, race, religion, and mental illness, driven by politically driven discourse around safety and immigration. The persistent silence from both media and political leaders surrounding this incident and the broader epidemic of violence against women, including the ongoing, unspoken tragedies of femicide, demands immediate and unwavering attention. It calls for a coordinated political commitment to confront, dismantle, and de-normalise the systemic conditions that enable such violence.