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#SydneySiege: Australians unite against Islamophobia using #illridewithyou hashtag

Australians have taken to Twitter to express solidarity with fellow Muslim citizens who may fear an Islamophobic backlash, in light of the Sydney Siege. A gunman has taken 13 hostages (some suggestions of up to 40) in a Lindt Cafe in Sydney, Martin Place. Australia has recently witnessed a rise in anti-Islamic attacks against Muslim citizens, as well as an increased effort by Australian police to crackdown on terrorism.

On Monday, an Australian posted a heartfelt story on her Facebook of an encounter she had with a Muslim woman that day (presumably in response and in fear of an Islamophobic backlash):

"...and the (presumably) Muslim woman sitting next to me on the train silently removes her hijab,"   "I ran after her at the train station. I said 'put it back on. I'll walk with u'. She started to cry and hugged me for about a minute - then walked off alone."

The story then made its way to twitter, and one Australian offered to assist Muslims using public transport and symbol of solidarity.

Which then led to the #illridewithyou hashtag:

The #illridewithyou hashtag amassed hundreds and thousands of tweets, as Australians took a stand against anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of the Martin Place siege. Here are our favourites so far:

https://twitter.com/Atozai/status/544418089249406976

https://twitter.com/MifrahMahroof/status/544427268714397696

https://twitter.com/anggerwitasari/status/544454734812176384

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