Violence Reaches Everywhere, Even the Familiar

The shootings at Bondi Beach and Brown University are not isolated aberrations; they are part of a wider and troubling pattern in which violence increasingly intrudes into spaces once considered safe, ordinary, and socially cohesive.

Beaches, campuses, shopping areas, religious gatherings, and cultural events have all, at different times and in different countries, become stages for lethal attacks. What distinguishes Bondi and Brown is not novelty, but how clearly, they illustrate the evolving nature of public violence: its targets, its logic, and its consequences.

Bondi Beach represents one category of violence that has appeared repeatedly over the past two decades: attacks on open, symbolic public spaces. Similar incidents have occurred at promenades, concert venues, markets, and holiday destinations across the world.

The logic is brutally simple. Such spaces offer dense crowds, minimal security, and maximum visibility. When an attack coincides with a cultural or religious gathering, the violence takes on an added symbolic dimension. The act is no longer only about killing; it becomes a message aimed at intimidating a community and provoking wider social fear.

This pattern is not new. Attacks on public celebrations and identity-based gatherings have occurred in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and Australasia. What Bondi underscores is that even societies with strong law enforcement capacity and relatively strict firearm regulation are not immune. The openness that defines liberal societies: beaches, festivals, public worship is precisely what makes them difficult to defend without fundamentally altering their character.

Brown University falls into a second, equally familiar category: violence in educational institutions. School and campus shootings have occurred repeatedly, particularly in the United States but increasingly elsewhere.

Universities are attractive targets because they combine openness with routine. Lecture halls and exam rooms gather people at predictable times, while campuses often lack the layered security found in government or military facilities.

When violence erupts in such settings, the psychological impact extends far beyond immediate casualties. It strikes at the idea of education as a protected space for inquiry, debate, and personal growth.

What differentiates Brown from many past campus incidents is the attacker’s escape. In several historical cases, shooters were either apprehended quickly or died at the scene. When a suspect remains at large, the incident transforms from a tragic episode into a prolonged security crisis.

Lockdowns, armed patrols, and widespread fear disrupt not only academic life but surrounding communities. This echoes previous incidents where uncertainty rather than body count alone - inflicted lasting harm.

Analysing both cases together reveals a critical shift: violence today exploits predictability more than symbolism alone. Bondi’s attackers relied on the predictability of a public gathering in an open space. The Brown shooter exploited the routine of academic examinations.

In both cases, normal life became the vulnerability. This is consistent with many previous attacks, where perpetrators targeted moments when people were doing exactly what society encourages them to do: gather, celebrate, study, or commute.

Another recurring feature is the challenge of motive. Historically, attacks in public spaces have often been quickly labelled as either ideological or criminal, while campus shootings are frequently framed as personal or psychological crises. Reality is usually more complex.

Some attacks initially assumed to be ideologically driven later reveal personal grievances, while seemingly “random” shootings sometimes expose underlying extremist influences. The early ambiguity surrounding motive, as seen in both Bondi and Brown, complicates public discourse and policy response. Premature conclusions risk misdiagnosis, while prolonged uncertainty fuels speculation and fear.

Law enforcement responses also follow established patterns. Rapid neutralisation, as seen at Bondi, aligns with lessons learned from past attacks: speed saves lives. Over the years, many countries have invested in rapid response units precisely because delayed intervention has proven catastrophic.

Conversely, manhunts following escaped attackers, such as in the Brown case, recall earlier incidents where the extended pursuit created secondary harm: economic disruption, psychological stress, and erosion of public confidence.

The policy implications are therefore not entirely new, but they are increasingly urgent. For open public spaces, history shows that permanent heavy security is neither feasible nor desirable. Instead, risk-based approaches: intelligence sharing, temporary security enhancements during high-risk events, and strong emergency medical readiness have proven most effective. Communities that have faced repeated attacks often emphasise preparedness over fortification.

Universities face a more complex dilemma. Past incidents demonstrate that access controls and surveillance can reduce risk but rarely eliminate it. Campuses that rely solely on physical security often overlook early warning signs such as social isolation, unresolved grievances, or behavioural red flags. The historical record suggests that violence prevention in educational settings is as much about mental health support, community engagement, and reporting mechanisms as it is about locks and alarms.

Perhaps the most important lesson, reinforced by decades of similar incidents, is that fear is itself a secondary objective of violence. Attacks on beaches and campuses are designed to make ordinary life feel unsafe. When societies respond by withdrawing from public spaces or transforming them into zones of suspicion, the attackers achieve a form of victory even after they are stopped.

Bondi Beach and Brown University remind us that such incidents have happened before and will likely happen again. The challenge is not to promise absolute safety: an impossible task but to strengthen resilience. That means learning from past attacks, resisting simplistic explanations, and refusing to allow violence to redefine how and where people live their lives.

14.12.2025

Kuala Lumpur.

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