TORONTO – In a show of solidarity, many Australians took to Twitter to share messages of support to members of the Muslim community who may fear backlash from the developing hostage situation at a Sydney cafe.
The hashtag #IllRideWithYou began to trend Monday after a Sydney resident wrote on Facebook she had seen a woman quietly removing her hijab on public transit.
Shortly after Jacobs’ Facebook posting, Twitter user Sir Tessa echoed the message by tweeting, “If you reg take the #373 bus b/w Coogee/MartinPl, wear religious attire, & don’t feel safe alone: I’ll ride with you. @ me for schedule.”
Followed by:
Thousands joined the Twitter campaign, offering to accompany those in Islamic dress who felt unsafe to travel by public transportation.
According to Topsy, an social media analytics site, the hashtag was used over 180,000 times.
Hostages were still being held early Tuesday inside Sydney’s Lindt Chocolate Cafe by a gunman who had a flag bearing an Islamic declaration used by jihadis.
-with a file from The Associated Press
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