Sunday, January 22, 2017

Have Australians become snowflakes too?



<i>A Victorian reader comments as follows on the recent car rampage in Melbourne described below:

"All those cars stopped at intersection, male drivers watching him wheelying around swerving at and trying to hit pedestrians on the footpath, and no one rammed him to stop him, and even the police in their vehicles stayed back.

This is a city unguarded. I remember when there were always four police officers on duty at this intersection – two directing traffic in synch with the traffic lights and two standing on the Young and Jackson’s corner. There were also two officers at most other city intersections, and pairs of officers walking the city. I remember when there were police weather booths in Swanston St. I remember when you could look around and see a police officer almost anywhere in the city, and they interacted with the public.

Now no police walk the city. Police park marked police vehicles around the city, mostly in Swanston Street near McDonalds and leave them there around the clock, coming in groups to move them occasionally, fancying that their cars left there makes it look like there are police officers around, but everyone knows there are no police around, just locked police cars"</i>


A HEAVILY pregnant mother caught up in the Melbourne CBD car ramming attack that left four people dead and many more injured has told how it was "obvious (the driver) was going to kill".

Meesha Rhodes Ali, 31, and her brother Ian Rhodes, 33, were travelling together in a car when they stopped at the front of Flinders and Swanson St intersection traffic lights. Within seconds they were stuck in an unwanted front seat to the horrifying events that unfolded outside Melbourne’s Flinders Street station yesterday.

Four people, including a 10 year old child — were killed and 15 injured when accused Dimitrious "Jimmy" Gargasoulas deliberately ploughed the allegedly stolen car he was driving into crowds in the CBD.

Ms Rhodes Ali said the maroon car suddenly screeched towards her, nearly wiping out pedestrians on "every corner of the road", before the driver moved into the centre of the intersection and started doing "burnouts".

"Every time he moved he was endangering bystanders and swiped them on every path he drove on," Ms Rhodes Ali said.

"He turned right into me. So I screeched my brakes and he missed my car right in front of me.

"Then I quickly reversed as he did doughnuts. The burnout was so sudden. I kept inching back."

Many pedestrians were struck by a car that was deliberately driven into Melbourne crowds. Picture: Tony Gough

Many pedestrians were struck by a car that was deliberately driven into Melbourne crowds. Picture: Tony GoughSource:News Corp Australia

Ms Rhodes Ali said Gargasoulas suddenly "stopped right in front of us".

"A few pedestrians at that point had already tried to stop him," she said.  "One man had a bat. (Gargasoulas) was provoking the guy with a cricket bat. He was like ‘come on come on’, gesturing him to come. "I thought to get my camera out but worried he would see me and smash my car."

Ms Rhodes Ali recorded the ordeal on her camera and later uploaded the footage to social media. The driver can be seen hanging out the window of the car, yelling and gesturing wildly as the car continues moving.  "We heard him say ‘f*** the world, you’re all sheep, die die die’," she said.

She said the driver appeared to be "on a mission to just cause damage".

Ms Rhodes Ali said she was devastated when she later learned the driver had ploughed into more crowds and killed four people including a man and woman in their 30s and a 10-year-old child. The Australian Jewish News is reporting that the 10-year-old victim was a student from Beth Rivkah College in St Kilda East.

Gargasoulas, who was shot in the arm by officers after a 12-hour rampage, is being treated in hospital.

He will be charged with multiple homicides after four people were confirmed dead and 15 injured, with several of them still in a critical condition. Among the victims fighting for their lives is a three-month-old baby girl who was taken to the Royal Childrens Hospital by police officers. She is in a critical condition.  There is also a toddler in serious condition at the hospital and a nine-year-old is in a stable condition.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the incident was not terror-related but was linked to a stabbing that took place in Windsor early Friday morning involving parties known to one another.

<a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/melbourne-car-ram-driver-f-the-world-youre-all-sheep-die-die-die/news-story/f5ae430851107fd787465ec0c8f785b1">SOURCE</a>