A SINGLE mum has been slammed as “self absorbed” and “tone deaf” after launching a GoFundMe to replace a handbag she says was lost during the chaos of the Bondi Beach massacre.
Tara Burns was at the iconic beach on Sunday celebrating her daughter’s fifth birthday when horror unfolded.
Alleged gunman Naveed Akram, 24, alongside his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire in a shooting spree that killed 16 people and left 42 injured.
As panic erupted, crowds fled in fear.
Burns, a mum-of-two from Bondi-Junction, says her handbag and phone disappeared in a scramble to escape.
In the aftermath, she set up a GoFundMe, which has now been deleted, asking for $500.
BONDI HEROES
Moment couple tries to disarm Bondi gunman before dying in each other’s arms
‘KILLER’ WAKES
Bondi suspect wakes up as cops reveal ISIS flag & terror training camp
The money, she said, would help replace her identification documents and mobile phone.
She wrote on the fundraising page: “My kids and I were celebrating my daughter’s fifth birthday at Bondi Beach yesterday. In the scuffle of having to leave in the terrifying scramble, I’ve lost my handbag and my phone.
“Just before Christmas this is a big financial burden on me being a single mother.”
“Any donations big or small to help me replace my IDs and phone would be so greatly appreciated, thank you kindly.”
So far the fundraiser has received just one donation of $20.
But it wasn’t the lack of donations that sparked outrage, it was the fundraiser itself.
One TikTok user branded Burns “self-absorbed” and “tone deaf”, accusing her of missing the bigger picture.
Another woman said she came across the page while trying to donate to victims of the Bondi Beach tragedy.
“This person is concerned about losing their handbag during a mass terrorist attack, and not only that, she’s concerned enough that she’s made a GoFundMe page so we can all support her. What is going on?” she said in a TikTok video.
“There is an ongoing disaster in Bondi currently. People have literally lost their lives. Families have lost their loved ones, and this woman is concerned about her handbag.
“I seriously have no words.”
The woman went on to compare the loss of a handbag to the scenes unfolding nearby.
She said people have been “stepping over dead bodies.
“God forbid you may struggle financially just a wee bit this Christmas,” she said.
“But how self-absorbed do you have to be to make a GoFundMe during a terrorist attack about losing your handbag and your personal belongings.”
The video quickly ignited fierce debate across social media.
Some agreed the fundraiser was wildly inappropriate.
“Losing a handbag is pretty insignificant to losing your life,” one person wrote.
“Meanwhile there’s many scrambling to find money for funerals,” another added.
But others rushed to Burns’ defence.
They argued compassion should come first – especially so close to Christmas.
“You know she’s a victim right? She was at the shooting. You were not,” one commenter said.
“She probably stepped over dead bodies too. It’s almost Christmas – she’s out thousands. Because she was in a terror attack.”
Others echoed the same view.
“I understand that it’s obviously not the utmost importance but true Australians – regardless of citizenship/religion band together in a time like this,” another wrote.
“We don’t sit on the internet shaming other people who just experienced an extremely traumatic event – truth is you don’t know this woman’s story… who are any of us to judge anyway.”
A fellow single mum also weighed in, saying the criticism crossed a line.
“Shaming someone for asking for help because other people went through worse is actually disgusting,” she wrote.
“As a single mother who myself is currently struggling if I lost my phone and wallet and bag I would not be in a situation where I was able to afford or get any of those things back.”
As the debate rages on, the fundraiser remains live.
The father and son gunmen are accused of gunning down 15 revellers celebrating Hanukkah at a Sydney beach on Sunday.
The dad, Sajid, died after being shot as he cowered on a footbridge alongside his son during what became Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in 30 years.
Naveed was struck multiple times by police and given life-saving CPR at the scene before being rushed to hospital.
He was placed in a coma but woke up earlier today, according to New South Wales Police sources.
Australian media reports say investigators are now at his bedside speaking with the alleged murderer.
Authorities believe the pair had travelled to the Philippines to receive “military-style training” before returning to Australia.
They are also said to have been motivated by Islamic State ideology, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Police are examining “homemade” IS group flags and improvised explosive devices recovered from a vehicle used by the gunmen.
Fifteen innocent people were killed in the attack, with dozens more still hospitalised after the violence that rocked Sydney.
The youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda, while the oldest was 87.
Officers eventually brought both gunmen down after a tense standoff.
It comes as three brave beachgoers who tried to stop the attackers have been identified.
Footage shows Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, wrestling a rifle from the hands of one of the gunmen, tackling him to the ground and recovering the weapon.
As Ahmed pointed the gun at the now-unarmed attacker, he was shot five times and rushed to hospital, where he is recovering following surgery.
Separate footage captured a married couple confronting a gunman on a busy road.
Dashcam vision shows Boris Gurman, 69, grappling with a suspected gunman believed to be Sajid after stepping out of his car.
A gun is visible in the alleged terrorist’s hands as Boris’ wife, Sofia, 69, watches on and attempts to help.
The two men are seen fighting over the weapon before crashing to the ground, with Boris managing to gain control of the gun.
Both civilians were tragically shot shortly afterwards and later died from their injuries.