Jordan Valinsky

Mic

In the aftermath of the hostage crisis in downtown Sydney, Australians are showing the world they’re not caving to racism or Islamophobia.

On Monday, an armed gunman stormed a cafe in Martin Place, entering a tense standoff with police. After the hostage-taker displayed an Islamic flag in the cafe’s window, many of Australia’s Muslims are understandably anxious about facing retribution. 

But instead, Australians have banded together on Twitter with #IllRideWithYou, a hashtag showing their solidarity with fellow countrymen scared of being attacked on public transportation.

The hashtag started simply, with an act of compassion. Tessa Kum, a writer living in Sydney, told Guardian Australia she acted after seeing a tweet from TV reporter Michael James:

https://twitter.com/MichaelJames_TV/status/544339713394368512

Continue reading

Sign up on lukeunfiltered.com or to check out our store on thebestpoliticalshirts.com.