Monday 15 December 2014

Under siege

As I type this post a siege of a cafe in Sydney is into its ninth hour and probably is still a long way from resolution.


The situation has necessitated a number of Central Business District blocks surrounding the site to be cordoned off from public access. Untold numbers spent part of or all of the day since the siege commenced in lockdown in their own nearby buildings.

The authorities have asked citizens to keep clear of this cordoned off area but otherwise to go about their business as usual.

For me this included going into town this afternoon to attend a theatre performance which was booked more than a year ago. Unsurprisingly, shortly after arriving at the theatre it was announced that the performance had been cancelled and so I made my way back home. I have rarely seen the CBD so light of traffic in what is normally peak hours. Public transport continued with some diversions but there was very little other traffic about.

I'm not complaining about the inconvenience of a cancelled performance which is a trivial matter considering the horror those being held in the cafe and in their offices must have experienced. The uncertainty for those still held in the cafe doesn't bear thinking about.

I pray that the siege will be brought to a conclusion as speedily and safely as possible.

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