Sydney Riots

[Angela Harlem]

It's my guess that incident wasn't the cause, but rather the trigger. If that was the only thing that ever happend it would not have sparked riots (unless Aussies are the touchiest people in the world and I have seen no indication of that). There has to have been loads of simmering going on before to cause that much tension to build.

Definitely a trigger, or red flag. Some parts of the media have been working on fuelling tension between white Australians and immigrants from places like Lebanon and so on by harping on and on about the race element even moreso than the crime. Sometimes it might be justified. How often, who can tell. There was a story a while back of a gang rape by some Pakistani boys, 2 of which are brothers. The boys' father came forward. A doctor. And upon watching the tape (these lovely young guys filmed it) commented that one of his sons would make a good gynaecologist. See, now this is an horrendous gang rape. A vicious attack. But unfortunately the boys and the outspoken father have very strong views on the promiscuity and deservedness of Australian girls to be attacked like this. The media ran with this making it headlines. Reading that, you recoil and say 'why?'. So of course people got angry in retaliation and defended our rather loose white Australian culture. But what about the rapes? Suddenly the focus is on the racial element. This was sadly not an isolated incident. Just like this riot. The Macquarie Fields riots a while back were horrific too, but in an area of Sydney where violence and racial tension is expected and becomes the focus as well.

 

[Irvine511]

i Angela's posts.

 

[intedomine]

I’m an Australian born Vietnamese and I never really had a big identity crises. It’s probably because I live and went to primary school at Springvale, a suburb where the inhabitants are pretty much 90% Asian (Melbournian’s might recognize that suburb!), but to answer the question of “who am I?” I just say that I’m an Australian born Vietnamese or Vietnamese Australian and just basically get it over and done with.

Just in case if you guys are wondering, I reckon my cultural activities are pretty balanced. Just a few weeks ago I was going bonkers over Australia’s win over Uruguay in the world cup qualifying match while I was consuming a meat pie, a can of VB and wearing a green and gold polo shirt and the next day I put on my traditional Vietnamese outfit and headed strait for my cousins traditional Vietnamese wedding.

But in terms of the recent riots, those drunk Aussie bogans bashing up every middle eastern person in sight and those thuggish Lebanese gangs who harass women and beat up lifeguards all deserve a big smack in the head.

Ahh yes Springvale, a fascinating place...an amazing little pocket of this beautiful city.... We are the best city in this country. No one can claim otherwise.

And wasn't that wonderful night of November 16, the greatest night in this nation's sporting history. Schwarzer for PM!

 

[A_Wanderer]

Democracy
Immigration
Multiculturalism

Pick any two

 

[timothius]

this is ridiculous

my solution

send the lebanese people back to lebanon

because its obvious that they want to make australia lebanon

if you miss your home so much and want to make australia something that resembles your home, then why dont you go back there

im sure playing basketball with security guards holding ak47s outside is a much better country to live in than what australia has to offer

I disagree, but you are making more sense than in the Aus/SA thread.

 

[timothius]

There's been some racist posters plastered up at railway stations here in Wellington, some underbelly type group put them up. They apparently call for white New Zealanders to riot Aussie style, saying white Kiwis should "take back our land".

Who would pakeha NZers fight? Maori? They preceeded us. Pacific Islanders? They area our brothers.

The major racial issue that NZ needs to tackle is Asian immigration, however we can't seem to address it without any move promoting a reduction being called "racist".

Back across the Tasman though, and I think that while the prevention for this was non-existant you have to give it to the authorities for clamping down and not letting this shit continue on.