PM urged to cut ties with Labour donor who mentioned ‘Gaza genocide’ in comment on Bondi terror

His comments were condemned by senior politicians, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

"Will Keir Starmer condemn his big financial backer? Staying silent implies he sees nothing wrong,” she said.

Tory Chairman Kevin Hollinrake added: “The Prime Minister must condemn [these comments] unequivocally and rule out accepting any further donations from Dale Vince. A failure to do so would be tantamount to an endorsement of his comments.”

The government’s former independent adviser on political violence and disruption, Lord Walney, said: “Islamist terrorists often try to invoke whatever is the latest complaint about the government of Israel, but the victims on Bondi Beach were killed for who they are as they came together to celebrate Chanukah - as Jewish people have been targeted through history.”

The former Labour MP urged Starmer to “cut ties” with Vince, the founder of energy company Ecotricity and chairman of football club Forest Green Rovers.

Vince told the JC: “To be clear – Netanyahu blamed Australian government policy for the terror attack at Bondi Beach, I find that outrageous. Australians surely will too. I pointed out what I believe to be an obvious and logical thing – it is far more likely that Israeli policy not Australian policy is the cause. In due course we may find out, as one attacker is in custody.

"I very much doubt he will cite Australia’s recognition of Palestine as his reason for attacking Jewish people. Netanyahu is trying to gaslight us all and tries to use this atrocity to support his arguments. I find that morally repugnant as well as illogical. If I’ve not yet been clear enough – I condemn all acts of terror and all forms of racism.”

The JC understands that Vince is not a member of the Labour Party or a current donor to it.

A Labour Party spokesperson told the JC: “We are absolutely clear that the antisemitic terrorist attack against Jewish families at a Chanukah event at Bondi beach is sickening. There can never and should never be any excuses made for barbaric acts of terrorism.

"The Labour government and the whole Labour movement stands with the Jewish community in Australia, in the UK, and around the world at this awful time. Both before and since we entered government, Keir Starmer's Labour Party has made tackling antisemitism a key priority and this crucial work will continue so that Jews living at home and abroad can live safely, without fear of violence or prejudice."

Another of Vince’s social media posts has also resulted in criticism from Jewish communal organisations.

In a post on X immediately after he attacked Netanyahu he used use the word “Holocaust” in reference to the killing of Turkeys for Christmas.

“Ten Million Turkeys are killed every year – to celebrate Christmas. It’s a Turkey Holocaust. And that’s before you consider the conditions they live in. And just how Turkeys are bred at this scale….that’s a horror story of its own - expose coming soon. Meanwhile pls just say no to Turkey this Xmas, extend the goodwill from all mankind to animal kind too,” Vince said as he shared a cartoon that urged people to “choose what you chew more wisely”.

Karen Pollock MBE, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, told the JC: “The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish, men, women and children. Ridiculous and inappropriate comparisons barely warrant the attention so clearly craved by some.”

Russell Langer, director of public affairs at the Jewish Leadership Council added: “The Holocaust was the attempt by Nazis to eradicate the Jewish people through industrial mass-murder. It is wrong and wholly offensive to Jews to cheapen the term 'Holocaust' by using it in any other context.”

Vince told the JC he accepted that his post was insensitive: “My post about 10 million Turkeys slaughtered for Xmas was pre-written and scheduled to go out at tea time Sunday – the Bondi Beach terror post was an immediate reaction to what Netanyahu said – that got posted straight away and ahead of it.

"I can see how the Turkey post looked unfortunate or insensitive coming hard on the heels of my Netanyahu Bondi Beach post – I also feel it was... it was cock-up not conspiracy.”