In the wake of the siege taken at a Sydney café, it is clear that Australia will not succumb to intolerance. The #illridewithyou social media campaign corroborates the unity that Australia wants to portray, as a country embracing its diverse collective and solidarity for its residing Muslims. The hashtag arose to affirm the position of civilians to dissuade intolerance and establish their embrace of the Islamic population in their country, further proving that the actions of one or a few individuals should not be used to identify a certain race or group.
The same variety of support was showcased closer to home, in the aftermath of the events on Parliament Hill. A YouTuber by the name of Omar Albach, created a video of a social experiment. It entailed a person, disguised in customary Muslim clothing, waiting to ride the bus. Another actor portrayed the antagonist with an intolerant mindset. The video presented multiple stander-by’s defending the Muslim man. Check out the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9rFprD_Qf4
Whether you are directly or indirectly affected, we can all sense the connection. Others, such as a Calgarian student, stated, “I am very proud to be an Australian because this event has portrayed how united and multicultural the society is.” People are still encouraged to share support through the use of social media.#Illridewithyou has gone viral, trending internationally on Twitter. These are the actions of the citizens. As terror propagates throughout our present and future, it becomes more apparent through our support that we all stand together, as citizens beyond our own borders; we are the citizens of the world.