
Sydney cafe siege: Australia becomes latest country to have its sense of invulnerability shattered - Comment - Voices - The Independent

Sydney cafe siege: Australia becomes latest country to have its sense of invulnerability shattered - Comment - Voices - The Independent














































Friday 23 January 2015















Apps 




eBooks 




i Jobs 




Dating 




Shop 





































News 



Video 





People 





Voices 



Find by writer 





Yasmin Alibhai-Brown 




Rebecca Armstrong 




Memphis Barker 




Max Benwell 




Chris Blackhurst 




Ian Burrell 




Andrew Buncombe 




Ben Chu 




Patrick Cockburn 






Mary Dejevsky 




Grace Dent 




Robert Fisk 




Andrew Grice 




Stefano Hatfield 




Lucy Hunter Johnston 




Howard Jacobson 




Alice Jones 




Ellen E Jones 






Simon Kelner 




Lisa Markwell 




Michael McCarthy 




Hamish McRae 




Jane Merrick 




James Moore 




Matthew Norman 




Dom Joly 




Amol Rajan 






John Rentoul 




Steve Richards 




Deborah Ross 




Kim Sengupta 




Joan Smith 




Mark Steel 




Janet Street-Porter 




John Walsh 




Andreas Whittam Smith 







Comment 




Editorials 




Letters 




IV Drip 




Campaigns 





Homeless Veterans 




Save the tiger 




Elephant Campaign 




Equal Partners 




Delayed Diagnosis 




We are Malala 




Child Soldiers 




Voices in Danger 




The New Suffragettes 






Rory Peck Awards 




British Citizen Awards 







Archive 




Our Voices 





Rentoul 




The Editors 




The Foreign Desk 




Battle of Ideas 







Commentators 





Yasmin Alibhai-Brown 




Terence Blacker 




Simon Carr 




Rupert Cornwell 




Sloane Crosley 




Mary Dejevsky 




Robert Fisk 




Andrew Grice 




Adrian Hamilton 






Philip Hensher 




Howard Jacobson 




Dominic Lawson 




John Lichfield 




Campaigns 




Hamish McRae 




Matthew Norman 




Christina Patterson 




John Rentoul 






Steve Richards 




Sarah Sands 




Mary Ann Sieghart 




Joan Smith 




Mark Steel 




Campaigns 




Janet Street-Porter 




Andreas Whittam Smith 




Voices 







Columnists 





Dom Joly 




David Lister 




Thomas Sutcliffe 




John Walsh 




Janet Street-Porter 




Chris Bryant 







Democracy 2015 




IV Drip Archive 




Blogs 




Scottish independence 




Save the tiger 




The state of the NHS 








Sport 



Tech 





Life 





Property 





Arts + Ents 





Travel 





Money 





IndyBest 





Student 



Offers 




Hot Topics

Page Three
Chilcot inquiry
Homeless Veterans Campaign






















 
Kathy Marks




Follow






Monday 15 December 2014




Sydney cafe siege: Australia becomes latest country to have its sense of invulnerability shattered




All of a sudden even the innocuous act of fetching a takeaway coffee seems fraught with danger























 




















Share







For the past 10 years or so, Australian governments - and the public - have kidded themselves that they could have it both ways. They could join US-led adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, earning themselves kudos with Western allies. And they could feel more or less safe from any kind of terrorist backlash, convinced that Australia was too small and too distant to become a target.




Sure, there were bombs in Bali and elsewhere which claimed Australian lives - far too many lives. But those were targeted at Westerners generally, not specifically at Australians. As for an attack on Australian soil, the last one was a car bomb at the Turkish consulate in Melbourne in 1986, which killed only the bomber.Now, here in Australia, that sense of invulnerability has been shattered. Even the innocuous act of fetching a takeaway coffee seems fraught with danger now, as office workers who popped into the Lindt Cafe in central Sydney just before the start of an armed siege later testified, white-faced, for the TV cameras.Only a few months ago, as he rushed to commit Australian troops to a US-led military operation against Islamic State, or Isis, in Iraq, Prime Minister Tony Abbott denied that it would make the country more of a terrorism target.READ MORE: Two hostages and gunman dead in Sydney siegeBystanders pose for selfies outside Lindt cafeMother received text messages from hostage sonNonetheless, there have been ominous rumblings for some time. The terrorism threat alert was raised from medium to high in September, signalling that an attack was “likely”. Security agencies have been warning about the risk posed by Australians heading off to fight with Isis in Iraq and Syria, then returning home, radicalised and dangerous.New laws have made it illegal to travel to such war zones without “legitimate reason”. (There are believed to be about 150 Australians fighting with Isis and other militant Islamist groups in the Middle East, with about 20 having returned home.)Warning: footage may be upsetting for some viewers  Other laws passed in recent months have given police and security forces expanded powers to arrest and detain suspects, as well as permitting them to secretly seize passports and search properties without advance warning.Meanwhile, tensions have been rising as a result of incidents such as the fatal shooting in Melbourne in September of a teenager who stabbed two police officers outside a suburban station.A week before that, police launched mass anti-terrorism raids in Sydney and Melbourne, which they claimed had foiled a plot to seize a member of the public in Martin Place, behead them and post the video on the internet.
In pictures: Sydney siege
That seemed particularly chilling today, given that Martin Place - a wide pedestrian thoroughfare at the heart of Sydney’s financial and shopping districts - was where the siege was unfolding.READ MORE: Timeline of events as they unfoldedMan Haron Monis profileEyewitness: Man Haron Monis' 'crazy eyes'Video:the moment police enter the buildingIn Martin Place, the sense of shock and disbelief was palpable among the 200 or so locals and tourists who mingled with TV crews outside the police cordon, eyes fixed on the brown umbrellas shading the tables outside the Lindt Cafe. “I can’t believe this is all going on just down the street, right in the middle of Sydney,” said one young woman, summing up the general mood.  








React Now


















Tweet




 

 


























The Daily Cartoon









Enter URL:



Enter URL:





















donatenow
read aboutour appeal


























Please provide search keyword(s)












Advanced search 




Article archive 




Topics 


























New



Hot



Commented








Voices



Isis conference: International co-operation can only work if all the key players are invited, and that means Russia









Voices



Greece is not the only country where the euro vision has fast become a nightmare









Voices



What is Prince Andrew doing in Davos anyway?









Voices



Give Chilcot a break – he’s probably still working on his inquiry into the Battle of Hastings









Voices



Is ‘zero suicides’ an ambitious enough target?















Mass prescription of statins ‘will widen social inequalities’	


Charlie Cooper




Coalition's tax and benefits changes hit low income families harder than any other group	


Andrew Grice



























independent images







Tel Aviv bus attack






Ravensbrück concentration camp






World's best bargain hotels






State of the Union






No More Page Three campaign






Stunning macro images






World news in pictures






UK news in pictures






Arts + Ents news in pictures 






Sport news in pictures





< Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next >















SPONSORED FEATURES








i100: How to take a wild career break and come back more employable

Fancy a wacky sabbatical?

 
Gambia


i100


Gym for free




RICS


Prizes & offers


Business videos






A warm welcome to the smiling coast of Gambia

The Gambia is fast becoming known as a winter sun haven

 
Wild Career Break


i100


Gym for free




RICS


Prizes & offers


Business videos






i100: Who makes your world a better place?

Tweet us the people who deserve some recognition to @thei100 with the hashtag #everydayhero and tell us why.

 
Wild Career Break


Gambia


Gym for free




RICS


Prizes & offers


Business videos






Turn Blue Monday Red

On officially the most depressing day of the year, Fitness First opens its doors to everyone for free. Get energised, focused and upbeat.

 
Wild Career Break


Gambia


i100




RICS


Prizes & offers


Business videos






Build yourself a brighter future

Chartered surveyors will be critical to shaping our new world

 
Wild Career Break


Gambia


i100




Gym for free


Prizes & offers


Business videos






Enter the latest Independent competitions 

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

 
Wild Career Break


Gambia


i100




Gym for free


RICS


Business videos






Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

 
Wild Career Break


Gambia


i100




Gym for free


RICS


Prizes & offers


















More FromKathy Marks




Refugees detained in Papua New Guinea and desperate to reach Australia resort to hunger strikes and self-harm






Sydney Siege: Tributes to heroic hostages who paid with their lives






Sydney cafe siege: Killer Man Haron Monis filmed YouTube videos of attack and forced hostages to use social media to relay demands






Sydney Lindt cafe siege: Three dead after Australian commandos storm building – how the events unfolded






Australia's beleaguered Abbott endures one final nightmare before Christmas




















iJobs General



Ashdown Group: Marketing Executive - London - £32,000

£28000 - £32000 per annum:
Ashdown Group:
Marketing Executive - East London - ...


Recruitment Genius: IS Network Field Engineer

Negotiable:
Recruitment Genius:
We are offering an excellent opportunity to jo...


Recruitment Genius: Telesales Consultant - OTE £28,000

£14000 - £16000 per annum:
Recruitment Genius:
A Telesales Advisor is sought t...


Recruitment Genius: Cook

Negotiable:
Recruitment Genius:
A Cook is required to work in a care home sett...





View the latest from iJobs






Day In a Page





Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat





1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31


January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December


1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

Go









 











Read Next



 
Isis conference: International co-operation can only work if all the key players are invited, and that means Russia


Mary Dejevsky















 
Greece is not the only country where the euro vision has fast become a nightmare


Peter Popham


























Ex Machina: Machine vs man Alex Garland's film explores the limits of artificial intelligence - but how close are we to machines outsmarting man? 






50th anniversary of Winston Churchill's death There are many events marking 50 years since the statesman's death ... and some are more tasteful than others 






'Truly terrible prospects await' Doomsday Clock nears midnight as scientists warn we're as close to destruction as we were during the Cold War 






Action this day! Homeless Veterans open trading at the London Stock Exchange 






Out of puff: Cigarette advertising The government wants cigarettes to be in plain packs, but Big Baccy won't be the only loser 








Dinosaurs were killed by cold, not heat Giant asteroid unlikely to have created firestorms big enough to kill off dinosaurs, scientists say 






Fancy dinner in the kitchen? The hottest restaurant tables now put diners right in the thick of the action 






Making the normal abnormal Radicalising menswear is a tough job in Paris, which lacks the male fashion traditions of a place like London 






Step up: The 10 best women's trainers Want shoes you can wear with everything? We find on-trend treads to see you through spring 






Paul Scholes column Raheem Sterling is a major asset for Liverpool, even if he isn't always the greatest striker of the ball 








Free-for-all transfer 'utopia' will be another step back for Premier League The Arsène Wenger model of producing better academy footballers in order to solve the declining number of native players is unrealistic, says Sam Wallace 






Frank Warren's Ringside Music mogul Al Haymon calls tune with Deontay Wilder 






An old hand at work in the Yemen's bloody civil war The US now appears anxious to crush the Houthi rebels and their Sunni al-Qaeda enemies - and the Saudis would have it no other way, reports Robert Fisk 






Homeless Veterans appeal Boris Johnson pledges £200,000 in major boost to campaign 






Islam should grant the freedom to question The West's best hope of dealing with the rise of Islamic extremism is to challenge the doctrines manufactured by religious scholars past and present, argues Ziauddin Sardar 































Terms & Policies 



Privacy Policy 



Cookie policy 



Code of Conduct 



Complaint form 



Email newsletters 



RSS 



Live Blogs 



About i100 







Contact Us 



Subscriptions 



Apps 



Work for us 



Evening Standard 



Homes & Property 



iJobs 



News video 



Sport video 







Advertising Guide 



Syndication 



Novaya Gazeta (English) 



ES Business Connections 



ES Rentals 



London Live 




© independent.co.uk



























Please provide search keyword(s)












Advanced search 




Article archive 




Topics 































