#illridewithyou: Australians show solidarity with Muslims during Sydney siege

#illridewithyou: Australians show solidarity with Muslims during Sydney siege

Australians are showing solidarity with Muslims on Twitter, using the hashtag #illridewithyou in a preemptive bid to curb Islamophobia after a gunman demanded hostages inside a Sydney café display an Islamic flag.

On Facebook, Rachael Jacobs described an interaction with a woman seated next to her on a train who removed her hijab in apparent fear of a backlash. Jacobs's Facebook posts were tweeted by a Twitter user.


Apparently inspired by Jacobs, a Sydney-based Twitter user offered to ride a bus with those who "wear religious attire [and] don't feel safe alone."

"I’ll ride with you," @SirTessa tweeted, quickly following up with the suggested hashtag #illridewithyou.


Many Australians followed @SirTessa's lead.


Local Muslims tweeted their appreciation.


It wasn't long before the hashtag began trending worldwide.


Later, Jacobs took to Twitter to thank @SirTessa and others for spreading the message.