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Lindt workers are comforted by mourners yesterday in Sydney’s Martin Place among the flowers and cards. Picture Cameron Richardson Source: News Corp Australia
Jake, 6, left a card for the victims of the siege. Picture: Britta Campion Source: News Corp Australia
A long and heartfelt message is left at the makeshift memorial. Picture: Britta Campion Source: News Corp Australia
The deaths of two hostages have been met with an outpouring of grief. Picture: Britta Campion Source: News Corp Australia
THE pregnant barrister held hostage during the Lindt cafe siege says her unborn baby is “healthy and unharmed†and she paid tribute to Katrina Dawson and cafe manager Tori Johnson.
Julie Taylor, forced by Man Haron Monis to deliver demands via YouTube, is 19 weeks pregnant. She fled the cafe with other hostÂages just before police stormed the room. “Katrina Dawson was the most wonderful person I have ever met,†she says in a statement to the ABC. “She was my closest friend, a role model and confidante. Her bravery and strength was, and continues to be, a comfort and Âinspiration for me.â€
Ms Taylor mourned the loss of an “acquaintance†in Tori Johnson, the cafe manager she never knew until fate forced them Âtogether “under the worst imaginable circumstancesâ€.
“I feel privileged to have known you and I will always remember you as a kind, considerate, level-headed and courageous person,†she says. “It was clear to me how much you loved your family and how much compassion you had for everyone you met. I am grateful that you were with me throughout our ordeal.â€
She said she was embracing positivity for the health of her “precious babyâ€.
Six-year-old Jake wrote on one bouquet to Ms Dawson’s three children: “I hope you will be OK without your mum.â€
Mr Johnson’s partner of 14 years, Thomas Zinn told the Nine Network of the family’s “unimaginable grief … When we look at the sea of flowers, with all the heartfelt messages and the crowds of supporters at Martin Place, we know that this grief is shared by the whole country, and the rest of the world,†he said.
Yesterday, a group of 10 Lindt workers wore their black uniforms and were comforted by onlookers as they read cards and laid flowers.
Westpac employee Marcia MikÂÂhael, 43, remains in hospital in a stable condition after surgery for a gunshot wound to the leg.
An anti-Islam protest by the Party for Freedom calling for an end to Muslim immigration and multiculturalism broke the communal spirit, when barrister Bilal Rauf, who studied law with Ms Dawson, compared the party’s views as “on the same par as (Islamic extremists) â€.
“Mate, I’m an Australian Muslim and I identify more with this country than any other country,†Mr Rauf said.
Additional reporting: Ean Higgins