Tweeters offer support for Muslims in Sydney

Australian social media users have sent a message of solidarity to Muslims as the Sydney cafe siege went on for almost a day, offering to accompany anyone who felt intimidated on public transit.

The Twitter hashtag #IllRideWithYou had been used more than 90,000 times as tweeters tried to allay fears of anti-Islamic attacks on Australia’s streets.

Hostages were held for more than 16 hours inside Sydney’s Lindt Chocolat Cafe by a gunman who had a flag bearing an Islamic declaration of faith that has been used in jihadi imagery. That prompted speculation that the siege could ignite retaliatory violence against Muslims.