France honours Bondi mall stabbing 'bollard' heroes
They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral.
Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott.
"We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP.
Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act swiftly.The tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him.
The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest.
"In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said.
"The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention.
"(You) will always be heroes of this state."
French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events.
"They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said.
The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots.
They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert.
Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives.
Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together.
When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through.
"I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes.
They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral.
Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott.
"We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP.
Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act swiftly.The tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him.
The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest.
"In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said.
"The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention.
"(You) will always be heroes of this state."
French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events.
"They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said.
The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots.
They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert.
Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives.
Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together.
When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through.
"I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes.
They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral.
Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott.
"We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP.
Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act swiftly.The tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him.
The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest.
"In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said.
"The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention.
"(You) will always be heroes of this state."
French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events.
"They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said.
The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots.
They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert.
Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives.
Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together.
When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through.
"I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes.
They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024.
Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral.
Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott.
"We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP.
Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act swiftly.The tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him.
The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest.
"In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said.
"The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention.
"(You) will always be heroes of this state."
French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events.
"They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said.
The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots.
They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert.
Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives.
Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together.
When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through.
"I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
This is angry England – and it demands to be heard
The concerns about crime are based on British reports that spread fast on social media. An Afghan asylum seeker was charged last week with raping a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, near Coventry. An Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged last month with assaulting a young girl in Epping, north-west of London. Both deny the charges, which are yet to be tested in court. With cases like these in the news, the English air has the whiff of petrol. One year ago, the awful murders of three young girls in Southport set off riots when rumours spread that the killer was an asylum seeker. The rumours were false. He was born in the UK. But at least 100 people were charged in the riots – an example of the explosive emotions around migration. 'Where are the women and children? If there was women and children first, we'd be happy. The community would be happy to take them in.' Nicola, Canary Wharf protester Jackie Sheldon, a mother of eight children, has lived in the Canary Wharf area all her life. 'They're coming here, and they're committing disgusting crimes,' she says of the migrants. 'We want to protect our community from that. That's not OK. We want these people gone.' There are no face masks in this group. The protesters are local and they know each other. They have a banner to challenge the idea that they are right-wing extremists. 'We're not far right – but we're not far wrong,' it says. 'Don't gamble with our lives. Stop the boats.' Nicola, 47, is a third-generation member of the community. 'I don't mind immigration, as long as it's done legally,' she says. She is concerned that the asylum seekers are mostly young men – a fact borne out in government statistics as well as the news broadcasts that show people on the boats when they leave French beaches. 'Where are the women and children?' she asks. 'If there was women and children first, we'd be happy. The community would be happy to take them in.' There is a strong feeling here that Britain will break if it takes too many more people, so the overwhelming mood is that the country is full. 'If you have a boat that holds 300 people and you put 600 in it, it's going to sink,' says Lorraine. 'And that's what's happening to us, right? Our infrastructure cannot cope with the amount of people that's coming in. 'People here, I wouldn't know when the last time they was able to get a dentist appointment. The doctors' appointments are all online. People have been told it's a minimum 12 years to even be considered for a flat on the Isle of Dogs.' She is referring to the waiting list for public housing in a council flat – and she says her children cannot afford to buy a home in the community where they were raised. 'It took a long, long time' One of her children, Ben, a scaffolder, says the Isle of Dogs accepted women and children from Ukraine in the past few years. He says it integrated a large Bangladeshi community over a longer period. 'It took a long, long time, but now we co-exist with each other, we get on with each other,' he says. 'But now you're obviously putting up undocumented men, which we know nothing about, into a community that is already struggling financially. You're gonna see a bit of unrest.' That is what happens when a lone asylum seeker walks out of the hotel and down the street. He is a young black man, and says nothing, but the protest changes instantly. Women who were talking quietly to each other suddenly turn and yell at him to go home. Men jeer as he runs the gauntlet of the protest. Tempers are frayed, but there is no violence. So far. One reason is that the protesters are not confronted by any opposition. Things were different one day earlier, when protesters outside an asylum hotel in the Barbican district of London were met by masked protesters dressed in black and chanting 'we are anti-fascist' – one of them vocally supporting Palestine Action, which the government has banned as a terrorist group. In the violence between the groups and authorities at the Barbican, the Metropolitan Police arrested one of the anti-immigration protesters for a racially aggravated public order offence. It arrested one of the anti-fascists for supporting Palestine Action, and it arrested seven other counter-protesters for breaching orders aimed at separating the two groups. Loading At Canary Wharf, however, the protesters against the asylum hotel have the street to themselves. Their star speaker is Young Bob – a student who posts by that name on X and is a member of Turning Point UK, an offshoot of an American right-wing group. He is critical of Muslims and multiculturalism, but he says he is not racist. His message is that migration is destroying working-class jobs by making it easy for big companies to use cheap contract migrant labour. He wants people to boycott services like Deliveroo. He is only 17, but he taps into a deep anxiety about the loss of old British ways. The protest drags on with long speeches. It is deliberately noisy and confronting for the asylum seekers inside the hotel, being told they are not wanted, but there are no faces at the windows. There is no trigger for violence. Until a dozen young men arrive in black masks. The police brace and prepare for impact. They harden their line to prevent the men from getting to the front of the hotel. These protesters want confrontation, so they let off flares, chant about shutting down the asylum hotel and move up so they are inches away from the police, eyeballing the officers. It takes less than a minute for the protest to turn into a scrum of police and angry men, swarming over the street as some try to get into the hotel. The flares cover the crowd in smoke. One protester, waving an English flag, strides toward the barricade but is intercepted before he can break through. The crowd supports them, but does not join them. If tempers were hotter, the crowd could use its numbers to rush the hotel. But the men seem to want to vent their anger and make a point for the media, without throwing punches. When one goes too far, a handful of police pin him to a wall and arrest him. He is later charged with assault, the Met Police tell me. Another man is charged with failing to obey an order to disperse. The men in masks walk away. Some of the women seem to know them. 'Good on you, boys,' calls out one. The crowd cools down. Young Bob takes the microphone again for another long speech. Then, in a sudden change in mood, the loudspeaker starts playing Sweet Caroline. The women in pink dance in the street, singing Neil Diamond. They own this neighbourhood, and they have made their point. Every protest is different. This one ends with people drifting home. The Barbican protest was more violent. The riot in Epping three weeks ago reached a fever pitch, with police assaulted and their vehicles damaged. And there are demonstrations every weekend, at asylum hotels up and down the country. Loading I leave the protest to return to Canary Wharf tube station, where families are enjoying the sunshine on the lawns around the shopping mall. Young people are paddleboarding on an inlet of the Thames. Parents are buying ice cream for their children. You could make a film here about modern, multicultural, harmonious Britain. This peace, however, is easily shattered by economic and social pressure. Polling firm YouGov found last month that 38 per cent of UK voters wanted asylum seekers immediately removed from the country if they arrived by boat. Another 43 per cent said they should have their claims assessed and decided on a case-by-case basis. Migration is now a basic test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
London asylum seeker protests: Locals demand to be heard over migrant hotel in Canary Wharf
The concerns about crime are based on British reports that spread fast on social media. An Afghan asylum seeker was charged last week with raping a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, near Coventry. An Ethiopian asylum seeker was charged last month with assaulting a young girl in Epping, north-west of London. Both deny the charges, which are yet to be tested in court. With cases like these in the news, the English air has the whiff of petrol. One year ago, the awful murders of three young girls in Southport set off riots when rumours spread that the killer was an asylum seeker. The rumours were false. He was born in the UK. But at least 100 people were charged in the riots – an example of the explosive emotions around migration. 'Where are the women and children? If there was women and children first, we'd be happy. The community would be happy to take them in.' Nicola, Canary Wharf protester Jackie Sheldon, a mother of eight children, has lived in the Canary Wharf area all her life. 'They're coming here, and they're committing disgusting crimes,' she says of the migrants. 'We want to protect our community from that. That's not OK. We want these people gone.' There are no face masks in this group. The protesters are local and they know each other. They have a banner to challenge the idea that they are right-wing extremists. 'We're not far right – but we're not far wrong,' it says. 'Don't gamble with our lives. Stop the boats.' Nicola, 47, is a third-generation member of the community. 'I don't mind immigration, as long as it's done legally,' she says. She is concerned that the asylum seekers are mostly young men – a fact borne out in government statistics as well as the news broadcasts that show people on the boats when they leave French beaches. 'Where are the women and children?' she asks. 'If there was women and children first, we'd be happy. The community would be happy to take them in.' Two women hold a St George's flag outside the Britannia Hotel at the Canary Wharf protest. Credit: PA Images via Getty Images There is a strong feeling here that Britain will break if it takes too many more people, so the overwhelming mood is that the country is full. 'If you have a boat that holds 300 people and you put 600 in it, it's going to sink,' says Lorraine. 'And that's what's happening to us, right? Our infrastructure cannot cope with the amount of people that's coming in. 'People here, I wouldn't know when the last time they was able to get a dentist appointment. The doctors' appointments are all online. People have been told it's a minimum 12 years to even be considered for a flat on the Isle of Dogs.' She is referring to the waiting list for public housing in a council flat – and she says her children cannot afford to buy a home in the community where they were raised. 'It took a long, long time' One of her children, Ben, a scaffolder, says the Isle of Dogs accepted women and children from Ukraine in the past few years. He says it integrated a large Bangladeshi community over a longer period. 'It took a long, long time, but now we co-exist with each other, we get on with each other,' he says. 'But now you're obviously putting up undocumented men, which we know nothing about, into a community that is already struggling financially. You're gonna see a bit of unrest.' That is what happens when a lone asylum seeker walks out of the hotel and down the street. He is a young black man, and says nothing, but the protest changes instantly. Women who were talking quietly to each other suddenly turn and yell at him to go home. Men jeer as he runs the gauntlet of the protest. Police stand guard outside the Britannia Hotel. Credit: Getty Images Tempers are frayed, but there is no violence. So far. One reason is that the protesters are not confronted by any opposition. Things were different one day earlier, when protesters outside an asylum hotel in the Barbican district of London were met by masked protesters dressed in black and chanting 'we are anti-fascist' – one of them vocally supporting Palestine Action, which the government has banned as a terrorist group. In the violence between the groups and authorities at the Barbican, the Metropolitan Police arrested one of the anti-immigration protesters for a racially aggravated public order offence. It arrested one of the anti-fascists for supporting Palestine Action, and it arrested seven other counter-protesters for breaching orders aimed at separating the two groups. Loading At Canary Wharf, however, the protesters against the asylum hotel have the street to themselves. Their star speaker is Young Bob – a student who posts by that name on X and is a member of Turning Point UK, an offshoot of an American right-wing group. He is critical of Muslims and multiculturalism, but he says he is not racist. His message is that migration is destroying working-class jobs by making it easy for big companies to use cheap contract migrant labour. He wants people to boycott services like Deliveroo. He is only 17, but he taps into a deep anxiety about the loss of old British ways. The protest drags on with long speeches. It is deliberately noisy and confronting for the asylum seekers inside the hotel, being told they are not wanted, but there are no faces at the windows. There is no trigger for violence. Until a dozen young men arrive in black masks. The police brace and prepare for impact. They harden their line to prevent the men from getting to the front of the hotel. These protesters want confrontation, so they let off flares, chant about shutting down the asylum hotel and move up so they are inches away from the police, eyeballing the officers. It takes less than a minute for the protest to turn into a scrum of police and angry men, swarming over the street as some try to get into the hotel. The flares cover the crowd in smoke. One protester, waving an English flag, strides toward the barricade but is intercepted before he can break through. The crowd supports them, but does not join them. If tempers were hotter, the crowd could use its numbers to rush the hotel. But the men seem to want to vent their anger and make a point for the media, without throwing punches. When one goes too far, a handful of police pin him to a wall and arrest him. He is later charged with assault, the Met Police tell me. Another man is charged with failing to obey an order to disperse. Migrants sit on a dinghy as it prepares to sail into the English Channel on July 10. Credit: Getty Images The men in masks walk away. Some of the women seem to know them. 'Good on you, boys,' calls out one. The crowd cools down. Young Bob takes the microphone again for another long speech. Then, in a sudden change in mood, the loudspeaker starts playing Sweet Caroline . The women in pink dance in the street, singing Neil Diamond. They own this neighbourhood, and they have made their point. Every protest is different. This one ends with people drifting home. The Barbican protest was more violent. The riot in Epping three weeks ago reached a fever pitch, with police assaulted and their vehicles damaged. And there are demonstrations every weekend, at asylum hotels up and down the country. Loading I leave the protest to return to Canary Wharf tube station, where families are enjoying the sunshine on the lawns around the shopping mall. Young people are paddleboarding on an inlet of the Thames. Parents are buying ice cream for their children. You could make a film here about modern, multicultural, harmonious Britain. This peace, however, is easily shattered by economic and social pressure. Polling firm YouGov found last month that 38 per cent of UK voters wanted asylum seekers immediately removed from the country if they arrived by boat. Another 43 per cent said they should have their claims assessed and decided on a case-by-case basis. Migration is now a basic test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The government is running out of places to house the people who cross the English Channel, with hundreds arriving every week. Every new asylum hotel becomes the target for a new protest. The problem is simple, and the solution is complex. And the longer it goes on, the angrier England is likely to get. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Perth Now
Reality TV star on trial after fatal chopper crash
Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. (Lloyd Jones/AAP PHOTOS) Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. (Lloyd Jones/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP A jury is set to be selected for the trial of reality TV star Matt Wright, more than three years after his mate was killed in an outback helicopter crash. Wright's Outback Wrangler TV show co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson was hanging from a sling under the chopper on a mission to collect crocodile eggs when he died in the February 2022 incident. Wright was charged after being accused of tampering with evidence to cover up non-adherence to aircraft maintenance rules. Wright last week pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The start of the trial has been delayed several times due to legal argument and scheduling issues. However, a jury is scheduled to be chosen on Tuesday for the trial before Acting Justice Allan Blow in Darwin's Supreme Court. The trial is expected to take up to four weeks and hear from about 25 witnesses. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the crash near the King River in Arnhem Land found the chopper's engine stopped mid-flight because of a lack of fuel. The crash into a paperbark swamp killed Mr Wilson, 34, and critically injured pilot Sebastian Robinson, 28. The charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice carries a maximum 15-year jail term in the NT. Wright rose to fame starring in National Geographic's Outback Wrangler and Netflix series Wild Croc Territory.
