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Australia News Politics

Apparent Islamic Terrorism Strikes Sydney 880

An anonymous reader send this link to a developing situation in Sydney, Australia, being reported on via live feed at the Guardian, and covered by various other news outlets as well. According to CNN's coverage, "CNN affiliate Seven Network said that at least 13 people are being held at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe. It published a photograph of people inside the cafe holding a black flag with Arabic writing on it. The flag reads: "There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God." From The New York Times' coverage: The police have shut down parts of the city’s transport system, and closed off the mall area. They would not confirm how many people were being held hostage inside the cafe, nor whether those inside are armed. Local media reports said that the airspace over Sydney had been closed and the famed Sydney Opera House evacuated. Television images showed heavily armed officers with their weapons trained on the cafe.
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Apparent Islamic Terrorism Strikes Sydney

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  • by jonwil ( 467024 ) on Sunday December 14, 2014 @09:40PM (#48597427)

    The airspace over Sydney isn't closed, nor is its airport. Flights are being diverted around the CBD (both by order from the authorities and voluntarily from the main domestic airlines agreeing to divert).

  • Wrong... (Score:5, Funny)

    by MinamataHG ( 2621917 ) on Sunday December 14, 2014 @09:50PM (#48597475)

    There is only a Spaghetti Monster! He is going to meat ball you!

  • Terroir (Score:5, Funny)

    by vm146j2 ( 233075 ) on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:05PM (#48597549)

    Fundamentalists. They hate us for our chocolate.

  • 2GB (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:06PM (#48597557)

    If you can get through, 2GB has excellent rolling coverage on their radio station. Ray Hadley (the presenter) has had various calls throughout the morning from one of the hostages who speaking on behalf of the terrorist wants to speak to Tony Abbott (Prime minister) live on air.

    http://2gb.com/listen-live

  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:13PM (#48597603)

    You dignify the human waste who perpetrate such idiocy by calling them "terrorists".

    They are much more likely to be some loser who has no idea what else to do with
    their miserable piece of shit lives, so they decide to do bad things.

    Calling them an asshole is much more likely to be accurate. Calling them a terrorist
    gives them more credit than all but a tiny fraction of such scum remotely deserve.

    • by TropicalCoder ( 898500 ) on Sunday December 14, 2014 @11:33PM (#48598053) Homepage Journal

      Calling them an asshole is much more likely to be accurate. Calling them a terrorist gives them more credit than all but a tiny fraction of such scum remotely deserve.

      I've often had that same thought. Calling them "terrorists" is really glorifying them, at least in the eyes of the impressionable. They are thinking "hey - I want to be a brave terrorist just like him!" All news headlines should refer to them literally as "assholes" or "losers". Then watch how many people now are going to say "hey - I want to be an asshole and a loser just like him!".I don't think quite so many would want to emulate that behaviour.

      • by tehcyder ( 746570 ) on Monday December 15, 2014 @04:46AM (#48599247) Journal

        Calling them an asshole is much more likely to be accurate. Calling them a terrorist gives them more credit than all but a tiny fraction of such scum remotely deserve.

        I've often had that same thought. Calling them "terrorists" is really glorifying them, at least in the eyes of the impressionable. They are thinking "hey - I want to be a brave terrorist just like him!" All news headlines should refer to them literally as "assholes" or "losers". Then watch how many people now are going to say "hey - I want to be an asshole and a loser just like him!".I don't think quite so many would want to emulate that behaviour.

        Well, the problem with that is that the people involved don't call themselves "terrorists" in the first place, and they certainly don't care how the Western Media label them.

        In their eyes, they are freedom fighters, holy warriors, God's Special Forces, or whatever.

        A bit of name-calling really isn't going to stop them.

  • Tech angle? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:16PM (#48597629) Journal
    I know that sometimes on Slashdot, we get 'stuff that matters,' but can't we at least talk about the police drones involved in the situation? Or even that Uber is reportedly charging users a minimum $100 to get out of Sydney CBD. At least attempt to make it seem relevant please?
  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:21PM (#48597655)

    Uber is reportedly charging its users in downtown Sydney a minimum $100, a result of surge pricing introduced in the midst of an armed hostage crisis, Mashable has learned.
    http://mashable.com/2014/12/14... [mashable.com]

  • As a former muslim (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:27PM (#48597715)

    As a former Muslim who lives in western country:

    1. Islam is not a peaceful religion, and to believe so you must either be a Muslim or a very naive person. Peaceful Muslims exist of course, but simply because they do not follow Islam strictly enough.

    2. Conservative western politicians who make use of terrorism to their own political benefit are not much better than the terrorists, in that both sides have no problem using people's safety to advance their own agenda. Typically they are also the ones that support wars worldwide.

    • As a former Muslim

      Congratulations on still being alive.

    • by Kojiro Ganryu Sasaki ( 895364 ) on Monday December 15, 2014 @06:07AM (#48599429)

      But the issue about not following Islam strictly enough is also true for Christians.

      The whole thing is really about the surrounding culture rather than the religion itself. If the culture supports violence then any religious scriptures will be interpreted as such as well.

  • Fake (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 14, 2014 @10:28PM (#48597717)

    Guns aren't allowed in coffee shops in Australia. News story must be fake.

  • Meh. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Guppy06 ( 410832 ) on Sunday December 14, 2014 @11:11PM (#48597951)

    It's not the World Trade Center, and it's not Bali. It's a single cafe and a maximum possible body count than your typical school shooting in the US (which can hardly hold the news media's attention for more than a week any more).

    This news wouldn't have made it out of Australia (if even NSW) if it weren't for the Islamic bogeyman angle.

  • by edibobb ( 113989 ) on Monday December 15, 2014 @12:25AM (#48598367) Homepage
    We should give up more of our constitutional rights NOW, before it's too late.
  • by bug1 ( 96678 ) on Monday December 15, 2014 @12:43AM (#48598451)

    Its a lone gunman.

    Police arent calling it a terrorism, it wasnt an IS flag being waved, airspace wasnt closed.

    But hey, why not use criminal activity to drum commercial media activity.

    If you want proper coverage journalism go to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission), its govenment funded but independently operated.
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/201... [abc.net.au]

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