Category: Lindt

Lindt

The secrets of the Lindt Cafe: We deserve to know

 

The secrets of the Lindt Cafe.

Daily Telegraph, Lindt, News Corp, Sydney

Rupert Murdoch’s Response To The Martin Place Siege Is As Tasteless As You’d Expect

Knowing what we do of Rupert Murdoch and his affiliate publications, it comes as no surprise that the expatriate media mogul’s first tweet in the tragic wake of the Martin Place siege was not one of condolence for the two victims and their families, or an expression of empathy for anyone of any kind but instead was a show of “congrats” for The Daily Telegraph, the “only” newspaper to catch “the bloody outcome at 2:00am.”

Rupert Murdoch         ✔ @rupertmurdoch

AUST gets wake-call with Sydney terror. Only Daily Telegraph caught the bloody outcome at 2.00 am. Congrats.

7:19 AM – 16 Dec 2014

“Congrats.”

It almost goes without saying that not only is everything about the whole situation extremely insensitive, it’s also as deliberately misleading and factually incorrect – every major news outlet has covered the siege tirelessly over the last 24 hours in a manner much more immediate than a print publication – as the same newspaper’s afternoon edition. The latter was printed at 2pm yesterday in response to the escalating crisis, and misleadingly labelled the hostage situation as the work of an IS “Death Cult CBD Attack”, something we labelled at the time – and will continue to do so – as one of “the most vile, deliberately inflammatory, fundamentally wrong and wholly speculative front covers in the sordid history of Australian print media.”

You can lodge a complaint with the Australian Press Council here.

Anti-Islamaphobia, Lindt, Sydney

#illridewithyou: Twitter sprouts anti-Islamophobia campaign

Twitter users are kicking back against Islamophobia in the wake of the Sydney siege. Pict

#illridewithyou: Twitter sprouts anti-Islamophobia campaign

  • 13 minutes ago December 15, 2014 9:22PM
Twitter users are kicking back against Islamophobia in the wake of the Sydney siege. Pict

Twitter has hit back against Islamophobia. Source: AFP

ANTI-ISLAMIC sentiment has flooded social media in the wake of the Sydney siege, but there is a campaign gathering steam that will restore your faith in humanity.

A Twitter movement, #illridewithyou, has sprouted with everyday Australians offering to ride on buses and trains with Muslims, or give them a lift to work tomorrow, in order to keep them safe.

RELATED: Sydney siege live updates

RELATED: Sydney siege: What we know, what we don’t

The grassroots campaign began with this thoughtful tweet from @sirtessa:
She received such a strong response from the Twittersphere that she suggested the #illridewithyou hashtag. The idea quickly took off, with people throughout Australia pledging their support for Australia’s Muslim community.
Well done, guys.

Everyday Aussies have offered to accompany Muslim people on public transport tomorrow as

Everyday Aussies have offered to accompany Muslim people on public transport tomorrow as a gesture of solidarity against Islamophobia. Source: News Corp Australia

Prominent Aussies and celebrities have also been inspired to join the movement.
One Twitter user has even added a sticker to her bag so Islamic commuters can find her. What a legend.
And now members of the Muslim community have begun to express their gratitude.

Hostage, Lindt, Siege

Sydney siege: What we do and don’t know about hostage situation in Martin Place

Hostage runs towards police officer outside Lindt cafe

Rumours are swirling around Sydney and across social media about the siege underway in a central Sydney cafe. Here’s what we do and don’t know.

What we do know

  • An armed offender has been holding an unknown number of hostages inside the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place since about 9.45am on Monday.
  • New South Wales police know the identity of the hostage-taker, and he is known to police.
  • Police have been in direct contact with the hostage-taker, and are conducting negotiations.
  • A number of hostages have been seen with their hands pressed up against the glass of the cafe windows.
  • Five people have fled the cafe since the siege began, but it is not clear if they escaped or were freed.
  • So far there are no known injuries to hostages; “I understand no-one has been injured, and we are grateful,” Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.
  • The hostage-taker is “claiming political motivation”, according to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
  • The hostage-taker wants to be associated with Islam, as a black flag with an Islamic creed written on it in Arabic has been displayed in the windows.
  • The flag is not the one used by Islamic State.
  • The hostage-taker has been described as middle-aged with a beard, and wearing a headband.
  • Martin Place, the Sydney Opera House, the State Library and all CBD court houses have been evacuated.
  • The National Security Committee of Cabinet has convened twice; Mr Abbott described the incident as “deeply concerning” and offered NSW all assistance possible.
  • NSW Health has confirmed that one of the hostages to emerge from the Lindt cafe siege is being treated in hospital. The man has been taken to St Vincent’s Hospital where he is described as being in a satisfactory and stable condition.
  • Hostages have contacted a number of media outlets, including the ABC, during the day. Police have asked the media not to reveal the contents of the calls.
  • Airspace over Sydney’s CBD was not shut down, despite reports to the contrary.
  • People who have information about the situation should call the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400.
  • People who want further information about the situation should call the Public Information Inquiry Centre on 1800 227 228.

What we don’t know

  • Precisely how many hostages remain in the cafe. A Lindt Australia executive said about 10 staff and up to 30 customers were inside, but police said the total number was not more than 30. A Seven journalist who said he had a view into the cafe said he saw about 15 hostages.
  • The details of the motivation or aims of the hostage-taker, except Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s statement that he is “claiming political motivation”.
  • Whether the incident is related to terrorism – although NSW Police are “operating according to our counter-terrorism protocols”.
  • Exactly what weapons or explosives the hostage-taker may have access to.
  • Whether those people who left the building escaped or were set free.