Six days after the horrific stabbings, employees and customers return to the “somber” Sydney retail center

Friday saw the return of patrons and employees to a “really quiet” Sydney mall, where six days before, an attacker killed six people and critically injured over a dozen others in an assault that authorities think was directed against women.

 

The Westfield Bondi Junction mall, which is adjacent to the well-known Bondi Beach, opened on Thursday for a “community reflection day,” despite the stores being closed. Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, called it “the first step in healing” after a devastating week for the country’s biggest metropolis.

Every floor of the mall had guards wearing black stab-proof jackets, and there was a noticeable police and security presence. Though there were hundreds of visitors, there were less than one would typically anticipate on a Friday during the school break.

Anthony Simpson, a customer who was shopping with his two kids, called the often bustling mall’s ambiance “somber.”

You might say it has a spooky vibe, according to Simpson.

Another customer, Stephen Roy, a resident of Bondi, just remarked that the mall was “really quiet.”

Authorities said that tourists and store employees may access counseling services on the premises.

The union that represents retail workers advised customers to be attentive and sensitive of how they engage with the shopping center’s personnel, echoing similar requests made by the NSW government.

Bernie Smith, the union secretary for SDA NSW, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday that “it’s going to be a pretty confronting day for many people.” “Yes, you should acknowledge what happened if you are in those shops, but don’t ask the workers what happened that day to retraumatize them.”

Since the assault, a sizable floral memorial outside the mall has grown as people in Sydney attempt to process the horrific incident. It started on Sunday and has continued to expand.

Inside the mall, a floral tribute and a condolence book had also been placed for people to leave their condolences.

On Sunday night, there will be a candlelight memorial to remember the deaths at Bondi Beach, which is close.

Joel Cauchi, the attacker, was shot and killed at the mall by a police officer while using a knife. Shops reopened on Friday, the same day that police charged a teenager with terrorist offences related to the assault on Monday at a Sydney church that left two Christian clergymen injured.

The teenager, who was speaking in Arabic, said that after he stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and the Rev. Isaac Royel during the Assyrian Orthodox liturgy, the Prophet Muhammad was insulted. Later, after being overcome by parishioners, he suffered serious hand injuries.

Some have said that if it is discovered by authorities that Cauchi’s motive was to target women, the mall assault ought to be classified as an act of terrorism. He murdered six individuals, five of them were women, and the victim was a security guard at a mall. Women made up the bulk of those who were injured.

According to Cauchi’s family, he had a lengthy history of schizophrenia, and the police have ruled out terrorism.

Although he did not comment on the idea, Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said that more needs to be done to stop violence against women.

He said on Friday on ABC Radio, “I think we can talk about violence against women without blurring lines into something else.”