Sydney siege remembered in unity amid debate on terror

By Jill Fraser

MELBOURNE, Australia

Twelve months after Sydney was shaken by a siege during morning rush hour, a business district housing the cafe where 18 people were held captive has become a focus for hope, memories and unity.

Survivors and families were among hundreds who gathered in Martin Place on Tuesday night for a twilight vigil to mark the first anniversary of the day that a lone gunman held customers and staff hostage for 16 hours at the Lindt cafe -- leaving three people dead.

Lawyer Katrina Dawson and Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson were killed along with the captor, self-styled cleric Man Haron Monis.

Silma Ihram of the Australian Muslim Women's Association joined Tuesday night’s somber gathering, which she described as “a celebration of our resilience.”

“Although speakers recognized and reflected on the tragedy of the event, they focused on the response we had as an Australian community, which was about overcoming hatred with love and standing together,” she told Anadolu Agency.

“I found it very moving,” Ihram said, explaining she was there fundamentally “because I’m an Australian but also because as a Muslim, it affects me doubly because it’s my faith that’s been vilified by the actions of this man.”

In the days leading up to the anniversary ceremony, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said it was important “to recognize the response and resilience of a community that refused, and refuses yet, to be divided by those who wish to cause harm.”

This sentiment of solidarity is being expressed widely by Australian Muslim leaders who have praised the Australian community for the unity expressed in the wake of the siege.

Ihram recalls the solidarity in the crowds that gathered in Martin Place a year ago to mourn Dawson and Johnson and the #illridewithyou hashtag that went viral as Australians took a stand against anti-Muslim sentiment following the siege.

Addressing the crowd Tuesday night, Baird said he would always remember how the city and state responded to the tragedy.

“Something remarkable happened as we came alongside the families and all of those who endured the ordeal,” he said.

“As a city we were drawn to Martin Place. We came in shock and in sorrow but every step we took was with purpose.”

Following the speeches, images of the massive floral tribute were projected upon the building where the cafe is located.

“When they put the reflections on the cafe, there was absolute silence for about 10 minutes, which was amazing for a crowd this large,” Ihram said.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott referred to the siege as “a brush with terrorism” and Baird described Dec. 15, 2014 as the day “the terror came right to our doorstep.”

But on Tuesday, Sydney Mayor Clover Moore told ABC TV the attack should not be considered a "terrorist event," but instead the act of a violent man with "clearly a mental illness."

"It wasn't a terrorist event. I didn't want our multicultural harmonious community to be divided."

Ihram, who received widespread media coverage when she was seen praying for the victims and placing flowers in Martin Place the day after the siege, told Anadolu Agency that she agreed with Moore’s distinction.

“The purpose of a terrorist incident is to make other people afraid. Monis had been attention seeking all of his life,” she said. “He was making a statement about himself and not having any purpose in a bigger picture.”

She insisted that the gunman, who had faced several legal problems, “wasn’t tied to Daesh or any other group.”

Hundreds of flowers will forever illuminate Martin Place in a permanent memorial standing for how Sydney healed itself and defied fear.

Hundreds of floral cube tributes inlaid into the pavement of Martin Place in a "scattered starburst pattern" will reflect the sea of flowers left by mourners following the siege.