Parents of Bondi Massacre Victim Urge Caution in Rushed Legislation
In an emotional sit-down interview with the ABC, the parents of Matilda, the youngest victim of the devastating Bondi massacre, have expressed their concerns about rushing new legislation through parliament. The couple, Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan, who lost their 10-year-old daughter in the attack, urged caution against making hasty decisions that might not address the underlying issues.
Instead, they proposed a more thoughtful approach, such as painting the footbridge where the attacker took his victims yellow in memory of Matilda's bright sundress on her final day. They also suggested installing a plaque to commemorate the 15 lives lost and renaming the park where the Chanukah by the Sea event was targeted "Matilda's Park".
Valentyna Poltavchenko, Matilda's mother, spoke about the emotional toll of losing her child and expressed her desire to preserve the footbridge as a memorial. "I want it to be in place... So people can go on it and look at the park from the highest point and feel that pain that was just in front of them," she said.
Her husband, Michael Britvan, warned against using his daughter's death to justify new legislation, cautioning that such measures might not prevent future attacks. "Criminals do not care about any laws you make about any speech or any guns... They will find their way."
Britvan also highlighted the dangers of rushing through legislation in response to a tragedy. "When the government tries to rush any laws, especially after some tragedy, they're never good," he said.
The family's concerns come as the federal government has reconvened to debate hate speech and gun control laws, while the NSW parliament rushed through an omnibus bill just 10 days after the attack. Valentyna Poltavchenko acknowledged that the rise in antisemitism had made her family feel unsafe, particularly in the past year.
The story highlights the importance of taking a thoughtful and measured approach to addressing the aftermath of a tragedy. The parents' suggestion to preserve the footbridge as a memorial and implement more nuanced legislation serves as a reminder that haste can often be counterproductive in times of crisis.
In an emotional sit-down interview with the ABC, the parents of Matilda, the youngest victim of the devastating Bondi massacre, have expressed their concerns about rushing new legislation through parliament. The couple, Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan, who lost their 10-year-old daughter in the attack, urged caution against making hasty decisions that might not address the underlying issues.
Instead, they proposed a more thoughtful approach, such as painting the footbridge where the attacker took his victims yellow in memory of Matilda's bright sundress on her final day. They also suggested installing a plaque to commemorate the 15 lives lost and renaming the park where the Chanukah by the Sea event was targeted "Matilda's Park".
Valentyna Poltavchenko, Matilda's mother, spoke about the emotional toll of losing her child and expressed her desire to preserve the footbridge as a memorial. "I want it to be in place... So people can go on it and look at the park from the highest point and feel that pain that was just in front of them," she said.
Her husband, Michael Britvan, warned against using his daughter's death to justify new legislation, cautioning that such measures might not prevent future attacks. "Criminals do not care about any laws you make about any speech or any guns... They will find their way."
Britvan also highlighted the dangers of rushing through legislation in response to a tragedy. "When the government tries to rush any laws, especially after some tragedy, they're never good," he said.
The family's concerns come as the federal government has reconvened to debate hate speech and gun control laws, while the NSW parliament rushed through an omnibus bill just 10 days after the attack. Valentyna Poltavchenko acknowledged that the rise in antisemitism had made her family feel unsafe, particularly in the past year.
The story highlights the importance of taking a thoughtful and measured approach to addressing the aftermath of a tragedy. The parents' suggestion to preserve the footbridge as a memorial and implement more nuanced legislation serves as a reminder that haste can often be counterproductive in times of crisis.
, Valentyna and Michael's words are really making me think about how we can really help the community feel safe again 
, painting the footbridge yellow and putting up a plaque would be such a beautiful tribute to Matilda 
, and lets not forget that criminals dont care about laws, they just wanna hurt people 
, lets focus on making sure our kids feel safe at school and in public places 
. I think it's so important they're speaking out about how rushed the whole process feels. I mean, we need to make sure whatever changes are made actually help prevent this kind of thing from happening again, not just be some knee-jerk reaction. They're proposing some really beautiful and meaningful ways to honor Matilda's memory, like painting the footbridge yellow... that would be such a lovely tribute 
. And installing a plaque? That's so important for keeping her memory alive. I also think it's super smart of Michael Britvan warning against rushing into new laws - those things are rarely easy to fix and can sometimes make things worse 
. We need to take the time to get this right, not just pat ourselves on the back because we did something 
.
. It's heartbreaking when you think about what they're going through 
. Rushing new laws doesn't seem to be the right answer here 
. And renaming the park after their daughter would be so lovely 
. I think that's what we should focus on - finding ways to honor their child's memory without sacrificing our freedoms 
. It's all about finding that balance, you know? 
. It's such a small thing, but it could be a powerful reminder of what happened and how we can work towards creating a safer community for everyone.
. This is going to be a long road ahead, but if we work together and support each other, I'm sure we can get through it 
... it's like, yes, let's make sure we're doing the right thing to prevent something like this from happening again, but can't we do it in a way that's not gonna hurt anyone? 
... I feel for Valentyna and Michael, losing a kid is just... ugh 
... and I don't think their daughter would've wanted us to be all hasty about it 
...