Emmanuel Macron has declared the ‘Bollard Man’ a French hero after he confronted crazed killer Joel Cauchi during his massacre at Westfield Bondi Junction.
Damien Guerot earned the nickname ‘Bollard Man’ after a viral video showed him bravely confronting a knife-wielding killer on an escalator.
The heroic actions of Mr. Guerot and his fellow Frenchman Silas Despreaux prevented the killer from reaching an area where many children were playing in the shopping center.
Now the French president has praised the bravery of his two compatriots, while sharing his “condolences” for the six victims of Saturday’s attack.
“My condolences to the Australians affected by an attack in a shopping center in Sydney on Saturday,” Macron posted on X.
‘Two of our compatriots behaved like true heroes. “A great pride and recognition.”
Damien Guerot (pictured) earned the nickname ‘Bollard Man’ after a viral video showed him bravely confronting stabber Joel Cauchi on an escalator.
Macron’s comments come after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to grant Guerot citizenship for his heroism, amid reports that his visa expires in a month.
It is understood that Mr Despreaux already has permanent residence.
“I say to Damien Guerot, who is processing his visa applications, that he is welcome here,” Mr Albanese said on Tuesday.
‘You can stay as long as you want.
‘This is someone we would appreciate if he became an Australian citizen, although that would of course be a loss for France.
‘We thank you for your extraordinary bravery. He says a lot about the nature of humanity.
Emmanuel Macron has declared the ‘Bollard Man’ a French hero after he confronted crazed killer Joel Cauchi during his Westfield Bondi Junction massacre (the French president is pictured with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese)
Six people were stabbed to death at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday (pictured left to right, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Ashlee Good, 38 and Faraz Tahir, 30 .
Shoppers were evacuated to warehouses to escape the killer.
‘At a time when we are facing difficult issues, someone who is not a citizen of this country bravely stood at the top of those escalators and stopped this perpetrator from going up to another floor and potentially inflicting more massacre on citizens.
“I think on Saturday we saw the best of human character at the same time as we saw such a devastating tragedy and I thank Damien for his extraordinary efforts.”
He was going to the gym with Mr. Despreaux on Saturday afternoon when they stumbled upon the scene of the massacre.
“We tried to catch him but he was coming down the stairs,” Guerot told 7News.
“Then we saw him fall, so we followed him from above. Maybe we tried to throw the bollard at him, but we couldn’t.
Mr. Guerot said he was losing pure “adrenaline.”
‘We don’t think. You can’t think at that moment,’ she said.
Guerot said Cauchi had “empty eyes” and photographs of him published today looked nothing like the man who embarked on an indiscriminate stabbing frenzy.
“His eyes were like empty eyes… he wasn’t there,” Mr. Guerot said.
The two officers threw the bollards at Cauchi but he managed to escape.
He was going to the gym with fellow Frenchman Silas Despreaux (pictured) on Saturday afternoon when they stumbled upon the scene of the massacre.
Emergency vehicles flooded the Bondi area following the attack.
Guerot grabbed a chair and chased New South Wales Police Inspector Amy Scott, who shot Cauchi dead after he lunged at her.
The Frenchman praised Inspector Scott’s quick thinking.
“She was actually the hero, she did the job,” he said.
Cauchi apparently attacked women, but authorities have not yet identified the motive for the country’s worst massacre in recent years.
He was shot dead after killing Dawn Singleton, 25, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Yixuan Cheng, 27, and Faraz Tahir, 30, while Ashlee Good, 38 years, died later in hospital.
A girl seriously injured in the massacre shows signs of recovery.
Seven people, including the child, remained hospitalized Monday night.
Health Minister Ryan Park said his condition had improved.
“It is a pleasure to see how the nine-month-old baby’s condition at Randwick Children’s Hospital has been downgraded from critical to serious,” he said.
“We hope to have her in custody in the coming days.”