French citizen, Damien Guerot, has reportedly been offered permanent residency by the Australian government, according to lawyer Belinda Robinson.
Affectionately dubbed “bollard man,” Guerot has been praised for his “extraordinary bravery” by the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, for his actions during the Bondi Junction attacks on Saturday, when Guerot was captured on CCTV attempting to stop the attacker, Joel Cauchi, with a bollard.
On Tuesday, Albanese said he would welcome Guerot becoming an Australian citizen.
“I say this to Damien—who is dealing with his visa applications—that you are welcome here, you are welcome to stay for as long as you like,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra.
“This is someone who we would welcome becoming an Australian citizen, although that would of course be a loss for France.
“It says a lot about the nature of humanity at a time when we are facing difficult issues, that someone who is not a citizen of this country stood bravely at the top of those escalators and stopped this perpetrator from getting on to another floor and potentially inflicting further carnage on citizens.
“I think that on Saturday we saw some of the best of human character at the same time as we saw such devastating tragedy. And I thank Damien for his extraordinary efforts.”
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles confirmed to SBS News that he asked his department to look into visa options for Guerot.
“Mr Guerot’s extraordinary bravery is an example of the character we all want to see in our society,” Giles said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We thank Mr Guerot as well as other members of the public, our heroic police officers and first responders who have helped protect others from danger.”
The good news is that Guerot has been contacted by the immigration department and told that he would be granted permanent residency.
“He got a call from immigration and the prime minister said that he can’t give him citizenship, but we’ll give him permanent residency,” Guerot’s lawyer, Belinda Robinson told SBS News.
“We’re just waiting to hear back when that’s going to become official.”
