DM
Sydney
Tourists have always taken selfies of themselves at Sydney’s most iconic landmarks, but on a day that has horrified the city many people are taking macabre snapshots for old times’ sake as well.
All day people were uploading selfies of themselves on Twitter from as close as possible to where the hostage siege was taking place.
Just to make the photos more authentic some even took them with television cameras in the background. Two onlookers even looked like they were taking a ‘celebration selfie’ than one at a hostage siege. Others smiled happily as if they were standing in front of Sydney Opera House instead of a chilling hostage crisis that could yet end in tragedy.
The hostage siege has been going since 10am on Monday with as many as 30 people believed to be held against their will by a gunman in a central Sydney cafe.
Not that it stopped people taking selfies in the area. However, the thoughtless actions have created a huge backlash on Twitter, with many users berating the people for putting up the tasteless selfies. One person wrote: ‘Awful, do they not have any feelings. People are being held hostage and all they can do is take a selfie.’ ‘I love a selfie, but how is this ok?,’ said another. ‘Don’t go home and hug your loved ones and be grateful that you’re not caught up in a hostage nightmare… go to the scene and take a selfie,’ one Twitter user wrote.