On a busy December morning in 2014, the heart of Sydney's bustling financial district became the stage for an unthinkable tragedy. What began as an ordinary day turned into a 16-hour nightmare when an armed gunman stormed the Lindt Café, taking 18 people hostage.
As the world watched in shock, the siege unfolded with chilling tension, testing the resilience of a nation and leaving a terrible scar on Australia’s collective memory.
At 9.41am on Monday 15 December 2014, Man Monis directed Tori Johnson (the manager of the Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, Sydney) to call 000 and say that all those in the cafe had been taken hostage by an Islamic State operative armed with a gun and explosives.
Eighteen hostages were held in the cafe for 16.5 hours. Over that period, 12 of the 18 hostages were able to escape in four separate episodes.
At around 2.13am on Tuesday 16th December, the cafe manager Tori Johnson was executed by Man Moris.
Following the execution, police stormed the cafe and another hostage, Katrina Dawson, was struck by fragments of one or more deflected police bullets and died at the scene.
Man Haron Monis, took hostages inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe located in the central business district. Monis, an Iranian-born self-styled cleric, had a history of criminal behavior and was known for his extremist views.
During the 16-hour siege, Monis forced hostages to display an Islamic flag with the Shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith) in the cafe's window, leading to speculation that it was a terrorist act. Negotiations took place throughout the day between Monis and authorities. The situation escalated in the early hours of December 16 when police stormed the cafe after Monis became agitated.
The Lindt Cafe siege had a significant impact on Australia, prompting discussions about national security, counter-terrorism measures, and the handling of individuals with extremist tendencies. It led to a review of the country's counter-terrorism policies and raised questions about how authorities respond to such incidents in the future.
What is worth considering is what has happened in the past 10 years.... like so many horrific acts of terrorism, they barely rate a mention anymore.
I often reflect on the Port Arthur Massacre and how a Nation handed over their guns in order to eradicate the danger of a repeat episode; yet these days, with daily stabbings, gang warfare, violence and crime running rampant .... people barely raise an eyebrow.
No one seems shocked anymore. No one really reacts. Have we become, as Pink Floyd suggested, " Comfortably Numb " ?
When I heard about what was unfolding in Sydney that morning, I was shocked that something like this was occurring in Australia. The loss of life because of political and religious ideology was so wicked and hitherto unheard of here... yet, despite this wake-up call, nothing seems to have changed.
In fact it has gotten worse.
Political and religious ideological fanatics are still running rampant and, most worryingly, community outrage seems subdued at best and apathy is on the rise.
In fact, we are increasingly seeing support for groups such as Hamas......
The families of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson will not have lost their sense of outrage. The surviving hostages no doubt still have nightmares and the legacy of the Lindt Cafe Siege will live in in their hearts and minds forever.
I hope that those of you who read this will stop for a minute's silence to remember the fallen and also to consider that we are ALL increasingly becoming victims and hostages to radical views and actions.
But this article is not written to exploit the tragedy that unfolded that day a decade ago. It serves just to remind us that we must never forget.
Yet it appears that we have.
Over the past months, since 7th of October, 2023, Australia ( and the world ) has seen an obscene ( and I use that word quite deliberately) rise in anti semitism.
In fact, we are seeing a rise in anti Jew, anti heterosexual, anti Christian, anti decency and anti white behaviour.
Most noticeable is the rise in anti Australian.
Our justice system has become impotent and are governments omnipotent. They almost seem to be our biggest security risk.
Did we learn anything from that dreadful time in Sydney? That we must exercise more care when admitting new residents into our country?
Apparently not.
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