The Martin Place Siege
Yesterday was a fraught day for Sydney-siders with the siege at Martin Place dominating everyone's thoughts. The self- styled Sheikh and so-called 'spiritual healer' Man Haron Monis was holed up in the Lindt cafe with 17 hostages - right opposite Channel 7's offices and in the heart of the financial district. Of the hostages, 3 were lawyers and 4 were bankers.
The Iranian-born asylum-seeker came to Australia in 1996 and had been accused of helping his partner kill his ex-wife, by stabbing her then setting her alight. He spent time in prison where he was allegedly abused and tortured, and was released on bail around a year ago, while the case against him was considered 'weak.'
Infamous in Australia for writing a dozen or more letters to the families of deceased Australian servicemen, accusing their sons of murder, he was convicted of the hate crime of sending offensive mail, and subsequently appealed this decision, ending up in the High Court where he lost his appeal last Friday in a dubious ruling.
There were another 40 offences of sexual assault on his charge sheet, which he was due to contest in court in February 2015, as he had allegedly taken advantage of women who had gone to him for 'spiritual healing'.
It has emerged that he had also written to the PM Tony Abbott, requesting a live TV debate, and sent several videos yesterday to local tv channels trying to get media airtime for his views. He also contacted a local radio station - and was said to have a bomb in a bag inside the cafe.
The siege ended in the early hours of the morning when some of the hostages tried to escape and two were killed. Armed police stormed the cafe and the gunman was shot dead. 5 others were wounded, including a policeman who was shot in the face. The other hostages escaped unharmed.
Flowers were being laid by well-wishers this morning in the cordoned off area around Martin Place. Many were in shock that such a thing could have happened in a place such as a chocolate cafe, as cafes are an essential part of the laid back and carefree Australian way of life, with probably more baristas per head in Sydney than most other cities of the same size.
Fear for Loved ones
With both my daughters working near the centre of Sydney I was concerned for their safety as all sorts of wild rumours circulated. The Sydney Opera House was closed and people were evacuated, with the rumour that a bomb had been discovered there. Other rumours went round that there were 3 other bombs in places around Sydney, as yet to be discovered. We spent time speculating on the most likely target for these bombs and areas to avoid. All the courts in the CBD were also evacuated as a precaution, which seemed odd - but makes sense now we know the back-story of the gunman.
My daughters both chose to stay at work and not flee the city. One walked home to the North Shore rather than risk taking a bus or train. In Bing Lee in Warringah Mall, workers were glued to the events unravelling in the city relayed on local TV news. Christmas shopping took second place to the drama unfolding a few kilometers away. In local cafes on the North Shore, people checked for updates on their mobile phones, friends sent texts to each other checking on whereabouts, and loved ones were asked to come and work safely from home. Few seemed to have done so as there was little sense of panic and this morning there seems to be a sombre mood in the city while business as usual resumes.
Loss of innocence
One of the things I loved about travelling on Public Transport in Australia was the polite and good-natured attitudes of the passengers - very different to the stressed-out and anxious passengers on London's tubes, where anyone Arabic with a beard and a backpack is regarded with a mixture of fear and suspicion. That may now change as Sydney-siders wake up today with the realisation that the problems of the Western world and its battle with Islamic fundamentalists have reached its peaceful shores.
Mike Baird, NSW Premier sought to reassure people on TV:
"We are a peaceful and harmonious society which is the envy of the world."
and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that: "We don't want this event to change us."
Inevitably, with Australian forces deployed against Islamic State, Australia has set itself up in opposition to the beliefs and values of that self-styled caliphate. However the gunman, Monis, does not seem to have been closely aligned with Islamic State, and his taking up of arms in this violent hostage tragedy seems to have been provoked by his hatred of the Australian government and its justice system which would have seen him incarcerated once more.
So Monis appears to have been an increasingly desperate Individual, with a history of mental illness and violent crime, who seems to have been acting on his own behalf, perhaps to seek notoriety in a final act of self-destruction.
The question for the Australian security services now is - how many more of these individuals are there at liberty in Australia and who, if any of them, is likely to try another politically motivated attack, in a copycat crime?
For Australians, the lucky nation, the question today is: 'Was that an isolated incident - or can we expect more attacks on our freedom and democracy, from individuals proclaiming: 'There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.'"
Throughout the day moderate Muslims have spoken out against the attack referring to Monis as a disturbed individual who was rejected by his own community. A heart-warming consequence was the compassion shown by ordinary people offering to accompany Muslims on public transport in case they were frightened of racist abuse. This was a spontaneous response to the events of the night before, kick-started by an Australian of Indian descent called Rachael Jacobs, who offered to walk with a Muslim woman when they left the train at the same station. A friend sent a tweet under the illridewithyou/hashtag and the idea went viral.
Jacobs wrote: "As we grapple with the tragic end to the siege, there's no better time to ride with each other, walk with each other, listen to each other or just silently be there for someone else."
It seems that a potential backlash against ordinary Muslims has been averted by the surprising number of Australians prepared to stand up for decency and compassion and challenge racism and discrimination. The floral tributes are testimony to the depth of feeling in Sydney that this kind of attack won't divide people or communities.
Jacobs wrote: "As we grapple with the tragic end to the siege, there's no better time to ride with each other, walk with each other, listen to each other or just silently be there for someone else."
It seems that a potential backlash against ordinary Muslims has been averted by the surprising number of Australians prepared to stand up for decency and compassion and challenge racism and discrimination. The floral tributes are testimony to the depth of feeling in Sydney that this kind of attack won't divide people or communities.
