Sydney Marks New Year With 1 Powerful Message of Peace
Sydney welcomes the New Year with a message of peace after the Bondi attack, as fireworks light the harbour amid heavy police security and unity tributes.
Sydney welcomed the new year with a message of peace following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach, as huge crowds gathered to watch the city's annual fireworks display.
The words peace and unity were projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while thousands of heavily armed police officers patrolled the streets – a rare and shocking sight in Australia – all under heightened security measures.
New South Wales (NSW) Police said more than 2,500 officers were on duty across the city, and some officers were authorized to carry high-grade weapons.
The attack on December 14 targeted Australia's Jewish community and left 15 people dead during the Hanukkah festival.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was illuminated with white lights to symbolize peace, and a Jewish menorah was projected onto the bridge's pylons to show solidarity with the Jewish community.
Official New Year's parties were paused for a minute of silence at 23:00 local time (12:00 GMT) in memory of the victims of the attack.
Images from Sydney Harbour – where thousands gather every year to watch the famous fireworks – showed officers patrolling the crowds with long guns.
Ahead of the event, Premier Chris Minns warned that some people might find the sight "confronting," as police would be carrying "weapons and firearms that you haven't seen before."
"But I make no apology for that. We want people in our community to be safe," he added.
British tourists Joe and Lucy said they were reassured by the increased police presence.
The couple – who had planned their trip to Australia to coincide with the fireworks – were in Melbourne at the time of the shooting. Joe told,"We were worried about coming out on New Year's Eve," adding, "but we've been reading in the news recently... that there's going to be more police here, so it'll be a bit safer."
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Separately, Minns urged Sydneysiders not to let the "horrific criminal terrorist incident" in Bondi change their way of life, as he called on people to "show defiance" and celebrate the new year.
This sentiment was shared by some of the spectators. Among the crowds at Observatory Hill in Barangaroo, a vantage point near the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was Helen from Belgium.
Hours before the countdown, millions of people flocked to the harbour, and by evening, many official viewing spots were completely full.
On the harbour, sailboats dotted the water – one of the best places to watch the midnight fireworks display.
Sydney's celebrations – with their spectacular fireworks – kicked off a series of events around the world, from Dubai to London and New York.
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