http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/world/asia/turning-illridewithyou-into-real-world-action-in-australia.html 2014-12-15 23:31:03 Turning #IllRideWithYou Into Real-World Action in Australia An effort to show solidarity with Muslims in Sydney after a gunman, apparently acting alone, sparked fears of a repercussions was amplified on Twitter. === Amid the panic at the hostage siege in Sydney that left two captives and the hostage-taker dead early Tuesday, a call for compassion quickly took hold on Twitter. Sydney residents writing on Twitter under the hashtag Anti-Muslim sentiment has been high in Australia, at least since September, when the government raised the national terrorism public alert to high in light of fears of an attack by Islamic militants. On Monday, during the 16 hours of the siege at a downtown cafe, when the gunman forced hostages to hold up the flag for the news cameras, a Muslim group reported instances of people spitting at women wearing traditional Islamic clothing. At such a fraught time, a Facebook note from a Sydney resident, A Most of the reactions on Twitter have focused on the good will coming out of the violence. Many Sydney commuters have shared their schedules to help turn the online hashtag into real-world action: Support for the effort has come from across the world. But others on social networks have taken note at how dire things are in Australia if Muslims are in need of personal protection while riding public transit. Soon enough, the woman who coined the hashtag was urging everyone to tone down the self-congratulation. She