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Commuters at Town Hall station in central Sydney
Commuters at Town Hall station in central Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Commuters at Town Hall station in central Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

#illridewithyou: hashtag offers solidarity with Sydney's Muslims after siege

This article is more than 9 years old

With hostages still in danger and central Sydney in lockdown, residents have turned to social media to spread a message of tolerance.

Locals have became concerned about the potential for rising intolerance or aggression towards people wearing religious dress.

One woman started what soon blossomed into a social media campaign to stand in solidarity with the city’s Muslims.

Tessa Kum, a TV content editor and writer living in Sydney, told Guardian Australia she acted after seeing a tweet from Michael James:

This, this is what good people do. #sydneyseige #MartinPlace pic.twitter.com/zxbHLWzxEp

— Michael James (@MichaelJames_TV) December 15, 2014

She then posted offering her company to anyone in religious attire on her route.

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.

— Sir Tessa (@sirtessa) December 15, 2014

Maybe start a hashtag? What’s in #illridewithyou?

— Sir Tessa (@sirtessa) December 15, 2014

Fellow Twitter users swiftly joined in, offering their support.

#illridewithyou radiates the beauty of Australian mateship. We are many, but together we are one. #sydneysiege pic.twitter.com/cmJonDi7Lc

— Lisa Donaldson APD (@Lise_Simpson) December 15, 2014

Others picked a broader context to reinforce the statement.

And, much like the #putoutyourbats tribute to Phillip Hughes, the idea has caught on.

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