RICHMOND, Calif. โ The mayor of Richmond, California, is facing mounting calls to resign after promoting a false flag conspiracy theory about the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, Australia, a deadly antisemitic attack that left members of the Jewish community murdered during a religious celebration.
Eduardo Martinez publicly suggested that the massacre was orchestrated by Israel, a claim that Jewish organizations and security experts have described as baseless and deeply offensive. Community leaders say the remarks amount to blaming Jews for their own murder.
The comments triggered immediate outrage from Jewish groups in California and beyond, who said the mayorโs statements echoed longstanding antisemitic tropes that deny Jewish victimhood and deflect responsibility for violence against Jews.
Following public backlash, Martinez told media outlets that he had reached out to the local Jewish community to apologize. However, multiple Jewish leaders in the region have publicly disputed that account.
โAt no point did the mayor contact us,โ said one community leader, speaking on the record to local media. โThere was no outreach, no apology, and no attempt to engage in good faith.โ
Several Jewish organizations issued statements saying they were not contacted directly or indirectly by the mayor or his office. They described the claim of outreach as inaccurate and misleading.
The Bondi Beach massacre occurred during a public Hanukkah gathering at Sydneyโs iconic beachfront. Australian authorities have treated the attack as an act of antisemitic violence, and law enforcement officials have rejected any suggestion that it was staged or manipulated by Israel or Jewish organizations.
Australian police and national security agencies have repeatedly warned against the spread of misinformation following extremist attacks, noting that false flag narratives often emerge online to deflect blame and inflame hatred.
Jewish advocacy groups say the mayorโs remarks fit a broader pattern in which antisemitic violence is reframed as a Jewish conspiracy rather than acknowledged as hate driven terrorism.
โFalse flag claims after Jews are murdered are not political commentary,โ said a spokesperson for a national Jewish organization. โThey are a form of antisemitism that denies Jewish suffering and legitimizes further violence.โ
Calls for Martinezโs resignation intensified after Jewish leaders said the mayor failed to retract his remarks clearly or accept responsibility for the harm caused. Several community coalitions and advocacy groups issued open letters demanding he step down immediately.
Richmond city officials have not announced any formal disciplinary action. The mayorโs office did not respond to detailed questions about the alleged outreach efforts or provide documentation supporting his public statements.
Political analysts note that local officials across North America have come under scrutiny in recent months for statements about antisemitic violence, particularly when misinformation spreads rapidly through social media.
The incident has also renewed concern within Jewish communities about the normalization of conspiracy theories following attacks on Jewish targets worldwide, including incidents linked to extremist rhetoric surrounding Israel and the Middle East.
Community leaders emphasized that accountability is essential, especially from elected officials. โWhen a mayor amplifies a lie that blames Jews for being murdered, it sends a dangerous signal,โ one leader said. โPublic trust cannot survive that.โ
As of publication, Martinez remains in office. Jewish organizations say they will continue pressing for a formal apology, a full retraction, and resignation, stating that anything less fails to address the seriousness of the incident.
