A survivor of the deadly terror attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Australia’s Bondi Beach delivered a blistering critique of the police response, accusing officers on the scene of “hiding” as two gunmen carried out a massacre that left 15 people dead and dozens more injured.
Vanessa Miller recounted the chaos and terror she experienced during an emotional appearance on The Erin Molan Show, describing moments she says exposed a shocking failure by authorities tasked with protecting the public. As gunfire erupted, Miller said she was desperately searching for her young daughter, screaming her name amid warnings from others to stay quiet for fear the attackers would return.
“There were two policemen,” Miller recalled. “One was hiding behind a car. One was shot in the head, he was just bleeding from his face. Another one not injured.” She said she was frantically calling out for her child, ignoring pleas from those around her who feared more gunfire. “I don’t care! Where is my baby?” she screamed, she said, as she tried to move forward.
Miller said what she witnessed next left her furious and heartbroken. “This is where it’s just so real and so disappointing in our government,” she said, claiming officers were sheltering behind a vehicle instead of confronting the threat. She described trying to grab an officer’s firearm, only to be restrained.
“I tried to grab one of their guns,” she said. “The other one grabbed me and says, ‘No!’ I’m trying to grab for his gun.” Miller emphasized that the officers knew who she was, and she directed her message straight at them. “You are weak!” she said. “You could have saved so many more people’s lives.”
According to Miller, only two officers were present while the attack unfolded, and she said no reinforcements appeared. “Where were the others? Not there. Nobody was there,” she said. Instead, she credited ordinary people for stepping up amid the carnage. “Everyone, the public, helped. Nobody else.”
Her most painful memory involved her three-year-old child, who she said survived only because of the bravery of a bystander. “My little three-year-old was saved by a pregnant woman who saw her crying and screaming, ‘Mommy! Daddy!’ running around while everyone was on the floor,” Miller said. “She’s lucky to be alive.”
Miller’s husband, Wayne Miller, echoed her outrage and called for a serious response to rising antisemitism. “We got to fight this anti-Semitism, and we need to fight it full-on,” he said. He questioned how a peaceful religious celebration could become a target of such violence. “How can we not be entitled to a Hanukkah event in Bondi Beach and be shot at like animals… sitting ducks?” he asked.
Wayne Miller said the government must take responsibility for failing to protect Jewish communities, arguing that authorities were well aware of threats. Vanessa Miller agreed, accusing officials of willful negligence. “They’ve got blood on their [hands] and they know it,” she said. “They will deny, deny, deny, but they know it.”
The Millers’ testimony adds to growing calls for accountability following the attack, as survivors and families of victims demand answers about security failures and stronger action to confront antisemitic violence.
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