Social media responds to the Sydney siege

Social media responds to the Sydney siege
Social media has played an instant and integral role in relaying events as they occur and tracing reactions from shock to fear to condemnation and ultimately solidarity with Australia’s diverse Arab and Muslim communities.
Narrated
5 min read
The New Arab Staff

Farid Farid

15 Dec, 2014
Social media has responded isntantly and incessantly to the Sydney siege (Getty)

Australia was Monday rocked by a hostage crisis when a gunman - identified by Australian police as Haron Monis, already known to authorities there - held staff and customers in a café in Sydney’s central business district for over 12 hours for as yet unknown motives.

Social media, of course, has played an instant and integral role in relaying events as they occur and tracing reactions from shock to fear to condemnation and ultimately solidarity with Australia’s diverse Arab and Muslim communities.

Morning shock

Lindt café in Sydney is a popular hangout for tourists and the thousands of workers for whom the central business district work days. It also happens to be right across from one of Australia’s largest commercial TV networks Channel Seven suggesting that the gunman wanted an audience.


Channel Seven and other TV networks immediately showed footage of hostages holding up a black flag emblazoned with white Arabic text pressed against the glass of the café prompting newsmakers and commentators to think this was the flag of the Islamic State group (IS, formerly known as ISIS). Vigorous debate ensued as to explain the religious and political significance of the flag on display bearing the shahada, or the twin testaments that there is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet.







An exclusion zone was set up by police and counterterrorism experts and thousands had to evacuate their offices including in the iconic opera house. Public transport has been re-routed and key roads that flank the café blocked. The location of the café is critical as it’s also close to the New South Parliament and the Reserve Bank of Australia.




Moral panic

As a crowd gathered, journalists reported on bystanders taking selfies in front of the exclusion zone.


But events took a darker turn when a video – that has since circulated online garnering over 1 million views on facebook - though much lesss on youtube - in less than 12 hours – showed a member of the far-right Australian Defence League member haranguing the crowd with Islamophobic statements.



Conservative radio announcers such as Ray Hadley were not long in suggesting the gunman was an extremist Muslim. Hadley also claimed he had spoken to one of the hostages in the cafe off air and that the gunman wanted to speak to Australian Prime Minister live on Hadley’s radio show


Other prominent counterterrorism experts made a direct link to politicised extremist Islamist tactics and ideologies rather than the actions of a lone gunman


Free hostages

With several news outlets covering the hostage situation closely, there was drama when footage of hostages escaping and some being freed were broadcast live.




Solidarity and support

Online community initiatives emerged with the continuous coverage. Muslim community leaders roundly condemned the attacks inviting non- Muslim Australians to take part in interfaith prayer vigils around the country.





Australians responded overwhelmingly with a show of solidarity via the hashtag #illridewithyou. The worldwide trending hashtag, with over 135,000 tweets in the past twelve hours, saw users offer to accompany Muslims fearing a racist backlash on public transport.






The tense wait

Meanwhile, the drama continues to unfold, live on social media.

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