Race Riots in Australia

RACooper · #1 12-13-2005, 01:19 PM

Hmmm... Doesn't look like anyone has brought up the race riots in Australia here on GC; Kinda surprising really since it is a big news story. Some here on GC didn't seem to hesitate when there was rioting in France...

Quote:

Legislators to consider tough new laws to crack down on rioters in Australia

MIKE CORDER
Tue Dec 13, 6:58 AM ET
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - The racial unrest that broke out in Sydney's beachside suburbs over the weekend has spread to two other large Australian cities, where people of Middle Eastern descent were assaulted by whites, police said Tuesday.

In New South Wales, where Sydney is located, legislators scheduled an emergency session of the state Parliament to consider legislation cracking down on the rioters who rampaged through the city's suburbs for two straight nights, the region's premier said.

Seven people were injured and 11 arrested after youths rioted in the suburbs Monday night, smashing the windows of stores, homes and parked cars. The youths appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, leading police to believe the destruction was in response to racially fuelled attacks on a Sydney beach a day earlier.

Calling the rioters "ratbags," New South Wales premier Morris Iemma said police would be given special "lockdown" powers to stop convoys from forming and driving into communities to carry out acts of retribution. He also said he would urge lawmakers to pass legislation toughening prison sentences for rioting offences.

More at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20051..._racial_unrest

KSigkid · #2 12-13-2005, 01:22 PM

Whoa there cowboy, you may want to step off your high horse. Just because it hasn't been posted yet doesn't mean no one would; personally, this is the first I've heard about it.

Also, there's something funky going on with your font - maybe it's just coming out weird on my computer though.

RACooper · #3 12-13-2005, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KSigkid
Whoa there cowboy, you may want to step off your high horse. Just because it hasn't been posted yet doesn't mean no one would; personally, this is the first I've heard about it.

Also, there's something funky going on with your font - maybe it's just coming out weird on my computer though.

Font looks fine on my computer... and the school's - might just be yours.

Anyways the riots have been going on for a couple of days now... and it has been featured on CBC, BBC, CNN, and even FOXNews. If you watch any of the 24 hour news programs it comes up about every 30 minutes or so - so I'm kinda surprised you haven't heard.

Rudey · #4 12-13-2005, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KSigkid
Whoa there cowboy, you may want to step off your high horse. Just because it hasn't been posted yet doesn't mean no one would; personally, this is the first I've heard about it.

Also, there's something funky going on with your font - maybe it's just coming out weird on my computer though.

Agreed. Get off your high horse and your font is weird letters.

Basically:
Lebanese attack (allegedly) lifeguards
White supremacists egg on the white (for lack of a better word) people
White people attack back
Lebanese riot

Simple.

-Rudey

Optimist Prime · #5 12-13-2005, 02:13 PM

Hasn't racism been a problem for them ever since Russel Crowe tried to kill those Chinese people.

Skinhead, skinhead, running through the night.

Xylochick216 · #6 12-13-2005, 03:58 PM

Racism is a huge issue in Australia. When I went to school there, one of my courses was Indigenous Studies. People in my class (most of whom were of Indigenous Australian descent) were shocked that one of my friends, an African-American, would speak to me "after the things my ancestors did to hers." We had to explain over and over that A. Just because she is African-American didn't mean that her ancestors were slaves, B. Just because I am white doesn't mean that my ancestors owned slaves, and C. That happened IN THE PAST. A lot of people there still hold grudges since the Indigenous people were only given some freedoms in relatively recent years. I know race relations in our country aren't perfect at all, but after seeing how things are there, I think we are a bit more advanced.

Optimist Prime · #7 12-13-2005, 04:25 PM

Ha! So both Israel and Austrailia are more racist than we are.

Take that, Fidel Castro!