10 Years Later: Lindt Cafe Siege Impact

A memorial to the Lindt Cafe siege has been erected in Sydney’s city centre to mark the 10-year anniversary of the harrowing event. Display boards have been placed in Martin Place, inviting visitors to pause and remember the events of December, 2014 when a lone gunman entered the Lindt Cafe and claimed 18 hostages.

Man Haron Monis forced the hostages to call police and media organisations, falsely warning that he had placed bombs around the city, including in his backpack, and that it was an attack by Islamic State.

Sixteen hours later, he and two of the hostages would be killed after a deadly shootout that was broadcast into living rooms across the nation. Monis fatally shot cafe manager Tori Johnson, while barrister Katrina Dawson was killed by stray police bullet fragments in the final moments of the siege.

The boards, installed by the NSW government, display images of the sea of flowers left by mourners after the siege. More than 100,000 bouquets were laid across Martin Place in tribute to the victims.

One board reads: “Ten years on, we pause and reflect on the tragic events and remember the community’s outpouring of love that followed.”

On Tuesday, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was important to acknowledge the anniversary of the event that united Sydneysiders in grief, for those who died and the survivors. “I hope the families that were put in those terrible circumstances, and those that were in the cafe during the siege, know that there’s enormous amounts of goodwill for them and that Australians were behind them during this terrible period,” he said.

A Dan Murphy’s wine cellar, which occupies the site of the cafe now, has also marked the anniversary by placing flowers on a central table, in memory of those impacted by the tragedy. Martin Place also features a permanent installation of more than 200 flowers embedded in the pavement behind glass frames, accompanied by a plaque that reads “This sea of flowers in the heart of the city signifies the heart of the community united in the face of tragedy”.

An 18-month-long inquest after the siege delivered a string of criticisms, including that NSW Police did not act quickly enough, the gunman should not have been allowed out on bail at the time of the siege, calls for help from the hostages went unanswered, and victims’ families were treated insensitively. Coroner Michael Barnes also made a series of recommendations, many of which have been adopted into law and have changed the way Australia deals with domestic terrorist threats.