The tragic events of December 15th in Sydney will be etched in the minds of Sydneysiders for decades to come.
Today the scenes in Martin Place were reminiscent of the scenes outside Buckingham Palace after Princess Di was killed in a car accident. A sea of flowers lay surrounded by those who came in their thousands to pay their respects.
Tragically it sometimes takes a senseless act of violence such as the death of two innocent civilians to unite a country. There have been vows by police, politicians, religious leaders, and the public to not let this divide our community, and the Twitter phenomenon that was the hashtag #I’llridewithyou showed that the general public were intelligent enough to realise this was not a real Muslim that committed this act of atrocity, and more than that were keen to send a message to those of Islamic faith that not only were they welcome here but that they are a valuable part of our community and something worthy of protection.
On the other side of common sense was the Daily Telegraph which has been rightly condemned for its front page.
The front page was clearly aimed at dividing rather than uniting a community and it was not about to let facts get in the way of its agenda of promoting fear, hatred and fanning the flames of intolerance.
The coward incapable of being a man without the aid of a gun, whose name I wont mention as the sooner we forget it the sooner he’ll pale into insignificance, has as much to do with IS as he had to do with the Bay City Rollers. He was as much a part of the so-called “Death Cult” as he was a part of the Daily Telegraph editorial team.
One can only imagine the salivating that was going on in the offices of the Telegraph when it was discovered that the man with no spine was a refugee. The disappointment must have been palpable when it turned out he was granted refugee status under John Howard’s watch. One can only imagine the next days front page if it had been Gillard.
If promoting fear is the aim of terrorist organisations such as ISIS than I’m sure these terrorist organisations must be thrilled to have themselves an ally like News Ltd spreading and promoting their message.
A sea of flowers in Martin Place
There will be those that say it is disrespectful to the victims to talk about the politics of the situation, however I could not disagree more strongly.
As we all know this was a politically motivated act, the police have said it, Tony Abbott has said it and the deadbeat holding the gun said that the minute he requested to speak to Abbott live on the radio.
I cannot understand the logic that says by ignoring part of the reason innocent people were murdered is somehow respecting them.
Leaders such as Tony Abbott and NSW Premier Mike Baird have come out before the camera’s talking about courage and bravery yet their refusal to condemn the Daily Telegraph for its disgraceful attempts to promote fear and division shows them to be as hard as marshmallow and as tough as tissue.
For so long now we have seen all the chest thumping and heard all the political spin about how tough we are on terror. Tony Abbott walking into press conferences with his pathetic rehearsed swagger and talking about national security as if the country could be in no safer hands.
However this turned out to be utter crap.
There had always been the fear however of the “Lone Wolf” attack that went under the radar and was undetectable by authorities. A type of attack we have been told that is impossible to predict or prepare for.
We hear the “Lone Wolf” description being used heavily in the media now to describe the acts committed in Martin Place. This description makes a gutless gunman seem almost heroic in a perverse manner, and it’s a description he’d probably be proud of, I tend to think pathetic slug is far more appropriate.
However this is not in any way the “Lone Wolf who goes under the radar” attack authorities had warned us of. Quite the opposite actually.The colloquial radar in fact might as well been a frame surrounded with light bulbs bearing a portrait of his face. This was someone who was on every watch list imaginable. He was on the police watch list, both at State and Federal level, on the ASIO watch list and every counter-terrorism watch list we have in the country. Not only this it was even reported on TV this morning that the FBI were sharing information with our agencies regarding his activities.
This guy may as well have had a spotlight on him like he was Luciano Pavarotti giving a farewell performance.
Yet under the watchful eye of Tony Abbott and Attorney General George Brandis this pathetic wimp has been able to not only secure himself a firearm, but also able to waltz into the heart of the countries busiest city and take hostages in a part of Sydney that was meant to be on high security since the alleged threats of beheadings in Martin Place we heard so much about a few months back.
Did all this happen during an agency coffee break or was there a game of golf going on we don’t know about?
It is inconceivable that someone with this many eyes on him somehow went unnoticed at the most crucial times. The fact that this indeed is the case is a failure of our government and our security forces on a grand scale.
An image we will long remember
NSW Premier Mike Baird had obviously been chatting with Abbott’s speech-writers as his statements to the press suddenly had all the repeated bits for emphasis that are a characteristic of Abbott’s speeches.
Baird’s words were no doubt heartfelt and he looked like a man under enormous pressure.
Part of Baird’s speech told of NSW standing beside the hostages today, tomorrow and into the future.
It is a shame that Baird couldn’t have used the word yesterday in his statement. Sadly however, prior to this tragic event Baird’s government had not shown the regard for public safety his speech seemed to infer. The states bail laws had in fact amended a few months ago to save funds. I wonder if he is still counting the pennies pinched now…
The amendment’s to bail conditions that were pushed through parliament were such a disaster that within a month plans were laid to change them yet again as dangerous criminals were left out in the community.
These further changes are due in January. Cold comfort to a city, state, and country in mourning.
The bottom-feeder that took hostages in Sydney was not out on bail for something minor like shoplifting either. He was awaiting court for 40 offences of sexual assault.
However probably most telling are the allegations regarding the murder of his former wife Noleen Hayson Pal.
Noleen was stabbed multiple times, and it was more than likely while writhing in pain from the stab wounds, that she had gasoline poured over her and was set alight. It is hard to imagine a more hideous death.
Yet despite the horrendous nature of these allegations Mike Baird and his teams actions and policies kept him out in the community, and despite mixing with the public not being the best of places for a monster that’s exactly where he was left. One wonders how many other violent offenders are currently amongst us as a result of Baird’s bail blunder.
However doing our state proud was the efforts of the police and other emergency services that were on the scene. Each of these men and women acted with the professionalism we expect under tough circumstances.Yet again they have continued to exceed expectations.
There is always a race to play the blame game when something like this happens but it is worth pointing out that there is only one person to blame and that was the one holding the hostages.
However if we wish to prevent this type of thing from happening again our politicians will have to man up and acknowledge their mistakes in order to correct them, and the sooner the better I think.
Anything less is a piss-weak response to a gutless act.
Save Wixxy from his own budget crisis by donating here
Like Wixxyleaks on Facebook here
For All Your Video Production Needs
Follow @madwixxy
Excellent article Peter. Well said
Look at how the LNP treated Gillard and Rudd when shootings were occurring in NSW. The media wilfully assisting the LNP message about boarders, guns, cuts, etc. They went for the throat and kept their foot on the jugular.
Now look at today under a LNP government. Abbott, Baird being spruiked as being heroes, copping with pressure, comparing this to 911, Yelling death cult at every opportunity.
Abbott, Baird and the MSM have failed not only the NSW communities but Australia as a whole especially after reading old rupes tweets.
It is about time we gathered as a nation and demand changes to ensure people like those mentioned above including reporters do not have free rein to divide a nation anymore. Time to take these people to task and make them accountable. They should be hung from their own petard.
Great peice Peter. My thoughts to a t
And this: Just another example for the ‘not a fit and proper person file’ ? https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/…/10849950…
SCONTENT-B-LAX.XX.FBCDN.NET
Oops: Try this one! https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/p417x417/10849950_10152919246380797_3075498627075074473_n.jpg?oh=f3d24719cb5e733907fd5c3e31324e92&oe=55076349
Brilliant, heartfelt article. Thank you.
Well said, Peter, as usual.
It sickened me last night to hear on last night’s Ch 7 Sydney’s 6pm TV news’ self-important wall-to-wall coverage of the minutae of this dreadful happening, one of their reporters, who was standing outside Sydney’s police headquarters, insinuated that there were questions about how tthe police handled the situation. He wondered whether the “the more experienced” army should have been called in. All the while affecting an over-the-top fatuous serious gravitas. Disgraceful.
Any aboriginal man who had offended the way this guy did would have been incarcerated long before. That he was out on bail is reprehensible.
Finally a sensible commentary. One gets the feeling that this tragic event was very timely for our Tony – a bolster for his position in the polls. Andrew Bolt’s piece today is just wrong. It saddens me that such ignorance and lack of humanity is peddled to the masses.
another puff piece?
From what I’ve read, it seems pretty clear that the man was seriously mentally ill. If he had been a Christian holding a crucifix or showing an Australian flag it would have been reported as the act of a deranged individual, pure and simple. The fact that he was Muslim (or claimed or thought he was) has given rise to those outrageous MSM instances and response from some politicians.
Just imagine the hue and cry from some if our authorities had of complied with Iran’s requests in the 90’s to extradite him back there to face fraud charges. There’s a world of difference between persecution and prosecution, just ask Kathy Jackson.
http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/12/think-of-the-helpers-kids.html
The msm and some politions cant help themselves,they really give the muslim community,a hard time
do they think australians are unable to commit such dreadful acts WHAT NATIONALITY WAS MARTYN BRYANT,
Few others throughout our history. Recall a shootout, out side a suburban pub for one.
And here you go stating that he was some man convicted of terrible crimes when he wasn’t. He got bail as an accessory to the murder of his wife because the court said it was a very weak case.
Being charged with something does not make any person guilty so what did you want? Summary execution?
This on the same day a bunch of racist murdering cops all walked off scot free for murdering a man in cold blood on the streets of Sydney.
In the last 2 years in Sydney 24 people have been shot to death, 100 seriously injured with guns, should we summarily execute those perpetrators two?
I understand the rage, I feel very distressed for the poor bloody victims but there was simply no reason to the man in jail when his only conviction was writing nasty letters.
Meanwhile, we have 30,000 civilians facing death on the whim of Scott Morrison and some have been hostages for 1800 days without charge, a couple have been murdered by us without most of our media giving a shit, we are ransoming the lives of babies even in the name of glory for Scott.
I agree with Marilyn, as far as it goes so far. But at this point we know very little about what the hostage-taker was saying and doing and demanding during the siege. Who knows at this point what his motivation was. It doesn’t even seem to be clear how the two victims came to be shot or by whom or the sequence of events. Lack of knowledge hasn’t discouraged all the smart-arses who don’t need facts before coming to a conclusion and telling all and sundry what it was all about and how it could have been prevented.
Makes sense to me, to wait and see what really happened. Yes mistakes were made, judgement found to be questionable. That is in retrospect. an easy thing to do. What I find it hard to believe, this was what one calls an act of terrorism. It is bad tactics to prevent it as such. More like a one off incident. Very ugly and nasty, as it is.
What I also believe, this was not an act of terrorism. it seems more like a man who felt he was badly treated. That wanted the police off his back. Yes, a man with big personality and mental health problems, who was rapidly losing it.
Yes the murder charges are a big worry. Still action taken by police and courts might indicate, not really black and white. It seems that somewhere along the line, al reality was lost.
The sad truth could be, that this one could not be prevented.
I am of the belief, the police did not panic, but truly believed, from their relationship with him, he would come around. \\Yes, we are only guessing, and I believe making matters worse. Sensible t6hing to do, is wait for the investigations to be finalised. Then, maybe we will all be a little wiser.
But would Bill Shorten fuck a pig?
Just posted about Abbott saying the guy had a gun licence now guess what it was wrong and I’m a liar too
‘Tony Abbott wants to know why Sydney hostage taker Man ******* had a gun licence’
http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-abbott-wants-to-know-why-sydney-hostage-taker-man-haron-monis-had-a-gun-licence/story-fncynjr2-1227158943800
turned into
Inquiry after Tony Abbott wrongly claims Sydney siege gunman had a licence
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/dec/17/inquiry-launched-tony-abbott-wrongly-claims-gunman-licence#comment-45089094
Does Abbott just make this stuff up like a congenital liar is he getting his advice from a security experts like Brandis
The FBI expert who said increasing surveillance was stupid after they found they had info on 9/11 plot but it got lost in bureaucracy said “this stuff is like looking for a needle in a haystack and the answer is not just to make the haystack bigger”
There is a facebook page “Australians United Against Religious Extremists” have hijacked the photographs of the victims and superimposed “Victims of Islam” across them. Totally ignorant and reprehensible.
Excellent piece. Can only agree with your comment regarding the Murdochracy low-level braindead piece of vomit in the Telegraph. And how proud we are of the “I’ll Ride with You” attitude…it has made achieved international profile. Shared on FB.
Wasn’t ‘I’ll ride with you’ a foreign campaign first? I’m a little (actually a lot) disgusted with the rolling ABC coverage. Emotionalism and sensationalism is cheap nasty media but that is our lot these days. This is how propaganda works and that is what they served up. Insidious and subliminal.
Where are the flowers for the hundreds of thousands killed by western backed terrorists? When will our media understand that they have been covering up (facilitating) mass murder in places like Syria and Iraq as they unquestioningly promote State Department propaganda whose purpose is regime change in countries not to the US’s liking? Their lies have a very significant role in empowering our young muslim men to go there and kill. They (our media) are not innocent bystanders but active participants in the conflict by promoting lies and manipulating history to promote empire against the best interests of ordinary people in far off countries. This is the back story of what happened in Martin Place and it is the back story for the rise of ISIS. OK so the ‘madman’ was a madman and our recent happening were a convenience for his madness but that doesn’t diminish the blind eyes of our media newsmakers and politicians.