SYDNEY, Australia — Some Australian social media users are sending a message of solidarity to Muslims as the Sydney cafe siege stretches on, offering to accompany anyone who feels intimidated.
Hostages were still being held early Tuesday inside Sydney’s Lindt Chocolat Cafe by a gunman who had a flag bearing an Islamic declaration used by jihadis. That has prompted speculation it’s a lone wolf terrorist attack and raised fears of retaliatory attacks on Muslim Australians.
Sydney resident Rachael Jacobs wrote on Facebook she had seen a woman on the train remove her headscarf and offered to walk with her.
That spurred a Twitter campaign in which users offered to travel on public transit with those in Islamic dress who felt insecure. The hashtag #IllRideWithYou was used more than 90,000 times by late Monday.
A Muslim lady took off her scarf out of fear after the Sydney Siege & is comforted by strangers. #illridewithyou pic.twitter.com/JJbPhn0YKh
— _ (@svmaiyyah) December 15, 2014
#Australia, you are a class act for #illridewithyou where many countries would have answered with an outbreak of racism. Hats off!
— 🌻M🍩rgan A. Pryce #IBelieveHim (@morgan_pryce) December 15, 2014
Respect to the people of Sydney for showing us that solidarity is the best way to deal with extremism #illridewithyou
— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) December 15, 2014
Sydney is showing solidarity with Muslims with the hashtag #illridewithyou http://t.co/23qKB3RYk2
— Quartz (@qz) December 15, 2014
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