The French "Bollard Man" Who Fought Off The Sydney Attacker With A Post Has Been Offered A Visa
Damien Guerot, a French construction worker, earned the nickname “bollard man” after CCTV footage captured him warding off the attacker with a barrier post on an escalator inside Westfield Bondi Junction mall.
A Frenchman has been hailed as a hero and will be granted permanent Australian residency after he confronted the attacker who killed six people in a stabbing rampage at a mall in Sydney.
Damien Guerot, a French construction worker, earned the nickname “bollard man” after CCTV footage captured him warding off the attacker, Joel Cauchi, with a barrier post on an escalator inside Westfield Bondi Junction mall.
Cauchi then tried to run back down the escalator, but Guerot and his friend, Silas Despreaux, who is also from France and works in construction, grabbed a chair and chased after him.
The men helped direct policewoman Amy Scott to Cauchi, and she later shot and killed him when he tried to attack her.
Guerot said he and his friend acted instinctively and on adrenaline without really thinking.
“We just saw him coming... we were thinking. We need to try to stop him,” he said.
“We tried to maybe throw the bollard to him but we couldn’t [get him],” Guerto told Australian TV network Channel Seven on Sunday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Guerot’s bravery on Tuesday, April 16, and offered to resolve issues with his visa, which is set to expire in July.
“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,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra.
“This is someone who we would welcome becoming an Australian citizen, although that would of course be a loss for France. We thank him for his extraordinary bravery,” he added.
The deadly attack that took place on Saturday, April 13th has sent shockwaves across the nation, as 40-year-old Cauchi from Queensland killed six people and injured at least 12 others, mostly women.
Police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind Cauchi’s act of violence.
Authorities say they have not yet confirmed any motivation or ideology behind the attack but suspect Cauchi may have deliberately targeted women during the attack as five out of six victims were women.
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Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
