Digital screens that once displayed flashy advertisements have been replaced by pixelated black ribbons on a plain white background. The Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center in Sydney where six people were killed in a stabbing attack on Saturday reopened its doors on Thursday.
Stores will reopen as normal on Friday, but the partial reopening the day before was presented as an opportunity for shocked Sydneysiders to reflect. Dozens of saddened visitors came to pay tribute to the victims, in front of the rows of still closed shops.
VIDEO. Damien Guerot, the French hero of the Sydney shopping center attack
This allows us to express our solidarity, our condolences and to “turn the page on what has been a very difficult time” for the city, said the leader of the New South Wales government, Chris Minns. It is, according to him, a “first step towards healing”.
In a hall, wreaths of white flowers framing a message of commemoration were placed and a white table on which were bouquets and a book was made available to allow visitors to leave a few words.
Australia wants to grant citizenship to Pakistani security guard
Among those injured in the attack, a Pakistani security guard could be offered Australian citizenship. Muhammad Taha earlier said he believed he "deserved the recognition and consideration of citizenship" after being stabbed, in an interview with The Australian newspaper. He explained that he was attacked just after his Pakistani colleague Faraz Tahir, one of the six people killed.
Asked in a radio interview whether the Australian government would consider the security guard's citizenship application, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "Yes, we certainly will." » Calling the killing of Faraz Tahir a “tragedy”, he praised Muhammad Taha for “confronting” the assailant.
“It’s a show of extraordinary courage,” he said. The two men put themselves in danger to protect Australians they did not know, “it is to this kind of courage that we want to say thank you”, insisted Anthony Albanese.
In The Australian, the security agent highlighted that Frenchman Damien Guerot, since nicknamed “the man with the post”, had been offered a permanent residence permit after appearing in a video broadcast on social networks using a pole to push back the attacker. Muhammad Taha's graduate visa expires in less than a month, according to the newspaper.
Anthony Albanese announced that Damien Guerot would obtain the permanent resident status he requested on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron praised him and his compatriot Silas Despreaux on Tuesday for trying to stop the mall attacker.