Video footage of Saturday’s stabbings shows Damien Guerot confronted by the attacker, who was trying to take an escalator to an upper floor of the shopping center. Guerot can be seen moving towards the attacker, raising a dark pole to deter him. He later told local media that he and his friend “really wanted to stop” the attacker and were acting on adrenaline.
Police identified the attacker as Joel Cauchi, 40, who killed six people in his stabbing attack and injured several others before being shot and killed by a police officer. Among those treated for stab wounds was a 9-month-old baby, police said.
After Saturday’s attack, Guerot was hailed as a “hero” on social media and by local media. He was affectionately nicknamed “Bollard Man” – referring to the barrier post he used to try to deter the attacker.
Geurot is a construction worker and was working in Australia on a visa that will expire in a few months, he told Australian broadcaster Channel 7 News after the incident.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked Guerot for his display of “extraordinary bravery.”
“I say this to Damian… you are welcome to stay as long as you want,” Albanese said at a press conference. “He is someone we would be happy to become an Australian citizen, although of course it would have been a loss for France.”
Guerot was offered permanent residency, his lawyer Belinda Robinson told public broadcaster SBS News.
“He got a call from immigration and the prime minister said he couldn’t grant him citizenship, but we would grant him permanent residency,” Robinson said. “We’re just waiting to hear when it becomes official.”
The Guardian Australia reported that Guerot cannot immediately become a citizen because the Australian government cannot waive residency requirements.
According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs, descent and attribution are the most common ways to apply for Australian citizenship. To become an Australian citizen, one must have a parent who is or was an Australian citizen at birth, or be a permanent resident, although other routes are listed on the website.
Australian Immigration Minister Andrew Giles also praised Guerot, telling SBS News that the Frenchman’s “extraordinary bravery is an example of the character we all want to see in our society.” Giles thanked Guerot, members of the public, police and first responders for helping to protect others.
Police said Saturday’s attack, which mainly targeted women, was not terrorism-related. Cauchi suffered from mental illness, police said.
Just two days after the deadly shopping center attack, Australia was rocked by another knife attack in Sydney, this time at an Assyrian church. A bishop was giving a sermon Monday when he was stabbed, and a priest was also injured.
The service was being broadcast live when the incident took place. The attack is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, police said Tuesday. A 16-year-old boy is in police custody.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said on Tuesday the bishop and priest had undergone surgery and were “lucky to be alive”.
Guerot is not the first person to be honored by a country other than his own for demonstrating heroic actions in the face of tragedy.
In 2018, an undocumented immigrant from Mali scaled a four-story building to save a child dangling from a Paris balcony. Mamoudou Gassama quickly became a national hero as footage of the rescue went viral, with many dubbing him “Spider-Man”.
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