A man who ran to help Bondi hero, Ahmed al Ahmed, is in a coma in intensive care, after being shot three times in the Bondi terrorist attack.
Family and friends have identified the man in maroon who ran to help Ahmed al Ahmed as Gefen Bitton, a 30-year-old Israeli who has been living and working in Australia.
Gefen Bitton accompanied Ahmed al Ahmed as he wrestled a rifle off Sajid Akram.
Bitton’s family praised their loved one, describing him as a “true hero who deserves recognition”, after he was seriously injured in Sunday’s attack.
“After a long day of hiking in the Blue Mountains, one of Gefen’s favourite pastimes, all he wanted to do was celebrate Hannukah,” Bitton’s family said in a statement.
“Sitting at the benches in Bondi with a friend, he insisted on staying until the last moment until the Chanukkah lighting was completed. Little did he know, this decision would change his life.
“When the shooting began, Gefen jumped up with his friend and ran, but when his friend looked back just a second later, Gefen had disappeared from sight,” his family said.
After examining footage of the attack and Gefen’s location history, his family realised he was the man who ran to help Ahmed.
“Gefen had escaped, he was safe, but when he saw the terrorist, he ran into the line of fire to help. He made the decision to put himself at risk to save the lives of others. As Ahmad al Ahmad heroically jumped on the terrorist, Gefen ran in alongside to confront the terrorist,” they said.
“There, he was shot, fell to the ground, and shot again.”
“Gefen’s put his own life at risk with his selfless actions,” the family’s statement read.
“Gefen – an unarmed Israeli civilian, living in peace in Australia – made a decision most of us couldn’t even think of. He ran into the face of danger like only a hero does, guided by the values on which he was educated and raised. A true hero that deserves recognition.”
Friend Cay Barr said a gofundme had been created for her “beautiful friend” Bitton.
“Not a mere bystander, but an absolute hero who deserves recognition,” Barr said. “He is currently in the ICU, after multiple surgeries and a long way to go. We are praying in the next days he will be stable enough to wake up.”
As of 1.30pm Saturday, there are currently 14 patients in hospital. Four are in a critical but stable condition, and the remaining 10 are stable.
Minns announces new legislation
NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced new legislation to ban “hateful symbols” such as IS flags and give police greater powers to remove face coverings at protests and other public assemblies.
At a press conference on Saturday, Minns said he would also insist the phrase “globalise the intifada” be considered hate speech under legislation to crack down on hateful slogans.
The NSW Parliament is being recalled on Monday to consider the legislation.
“Monday’s legislation will specifically outlaw terrorist symbols such as the [IS] flags and indeed all banned terrorist organisations in NSW, for public display, either in the streets during a public demonstration or in houses anywhere,” Minns said.
“We’ll also make it very clear that horrific recent events have shown that the chant ‘globalise the intifada’ is hate speech and it encourages violence in our community,” he said.
“The chant will be banned alongside other hateful comments and statements made in our community.”
The Attorney General will ask the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety to conduct a quick investigation into other hateful statements and recommend which statements can be included in the state’s hate speech laws that will be introduced in the new year.
Lifesavers honour victims
On Saturday, on the sand of Bondi Beach, hundreds of surf lifesavers gathered for a moment of silence to honour the 15 innocent people killed in Sunday’s terrorist attack.
Many of the lifesavers had been among the first responders, ferrying wounded to the lawn outside their club, where paramedics and doctors who had been off-duty nearby treated the injured.
The honour guard of red and yellow uniforms stretched from one end of Bondi’s shoreline to the other as they stood in silence for three minutes. Nippers clung to their parents.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce said other clubs around Australia were also standing this morning in solidarity.
“I’m so incredibly proud, we all stood shoulder to shoulder, we all cried,” Pearce said.
Chris Cooper, 27, was one of the first surf lifesavers on the scene last Sunday.
Tamarama and Bondi surf lifesavers stood for a minute silence at Bondi Beach this morning. Credit: Oscar Colman
“I was just by the shower,” Cooper said, pointing to the Bondi surf club.
“When the gunfire started slowing down, I ran into the playground. I was probably one of the first people to actually see,” he said, referring to the location of the Hanukkah by the Sea event that was the target of the terrorist attack.
He then ran back to collect first aid equipment, he said.
Standing with his fellow lifesavers, Cooper said this special moment showed the community was here to help each other after Sunday’s horrific events.
“I’ve been in Surf Life Saving since I was like five years old, and I’ve never seen this kind of a community strength than here,” he said.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
