A man who confronted the knife-wielding attacker with a bollard during the Bondi stabbing rampage has been welcomed to stay in the country for as long as he likes by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Six people were stabbed to death on April 13 at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Mr. Guerot would earn the moniker “Bollard Man” for his efforts.
Prime Minister Albanese indicated permanent residency and citizenship could be on the way for Mr. Guerot.
Mr. Albanese told reporters, “We thank him for his extraordinary bravery. It says a lot about the nature of humanity.”
In response to questions about Mr. Guerot’s visa, Mr. Albanese indicated that he would support him becoming an Australian citizen.
“This is someone who we would welcome becoming an Australian citizen, although that would of course be a loss for France,” Mr. Albanese said.
“I say this to Damien Guerot, who is dealing with his visa applications, that you are welcome here, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
The French national spoke on 7 News about the moment he and his friend Silas Despreaux decided to confront the killer.
“We tried to catch him but he was going down the stairs, then we saw him going down, so we followed him from the top, tried to maybe throw the bollard at him but we couldn’t. I don’t know, I just feel like, we need something to catch him.”
Afterwards, Mr. Guerot and his friend grabbed a chair and alerted police officer Amy Scott, who was able to confront the 40-year-old with a gun.
Mr. Guerot commented that the perpetrator Mr. Cauchi had “empty eyes,” explaining that, “he wasn’t there.”
He said he also saw two of the victims from the stabbing spree, including one lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
The police officer who shot the Sydney attacker has been labelled a “hero” by Prime Minister Albanese.
Officer Ms. Scott confronted Mr. Cauchi in the mall and shot him dead after he lunged a knife at her, before performing CPR on him afterwards.
“There is no doubt that she saved lives,” Mr. Albanese said, noting that hundreds more deaths could have occurred if it wasn’t for Australia’s “strong gun laws.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has also paid tribute to the police officers and first responders
“We grieve for the six people who were murdered, we pray for those who were injured and are thinking of all those families whose lives have been changed forever,” Mr. Dutton said.
“In particular, the bravery of one female police officer who neutralised the threat.”
Albanese Says Violence Against Women ‘Too Prevalent’
Meanwhile, Mr. Albanese was also asked in an interview on April 16 whether he believes violence against women should be labelled terrorism.Five of the six individuals killed in the Bondi stabbing rampage were women, and New South Wales Police are investigating if this was deliberate.
In response, the prime minister said violence against women was “far too prevalent.”
However, Mr. Albanese said he did not want to “get into a definitional debate” when further pressed if it should be called terrorism.
“What’s clear, with regard to the Sydney incident, again, is that police, the investigation is ongoing as to motivation,” Mr. Albanese said.
“And I think we saw on Saturday the problem when people second guess and make declarations [about motive]. On Saturday, some of which were just completely wrong, and completely untrue and distressing. So, I am going to be, as I was on Saturday, always cautious about waiting for the authorities to undertake their work.”
