2014 Sydney hostage crisis
After the siege began, a staged exclusion zone was established with thousands of people evacuated from nearby buildings, including from the floors above the café. The Sydney Opera House was evacuated after a suspicious package was found; however, reports were unconfirmed by police. The US Consulate General in Sydney, located in Martin Place, was also evacuated. Some Sydney schools were put in "white level lockout" due to the hostage situation, which meant that no school group was permitted to leave the school grounds.
Mike Baird
Baird had publicly advocated for the tough Sydney lockout laws and on 9 February 2016 posted a Facebook response to an article published by Matt Barrie condemning the Premier's actions. Baird's response gained international attention after the post received over 10,000 likes - along with more than 10,000 comments that were mostly critical of the Premier's stance on the laws. Baird's reputation as a "darling of social media" was tarnished as the hashtag #casinomike became the number one trending topic nationwide on Twitter in reference to lockout laws not applying to Star City Casino, as it is located outside the entertainment and cbd precincts where the laws apply. A protest was organised in response to Baird's comments by community group Keep Sydney Open on 21 February 2016, with over 15,000 people marching in Sydney's CBD and calling on the Baird government to abolish the lockout laws.