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Last updated on March 5th, 2018 at 01:45 pm
Two Australians innocently driving along a beachfront road this week were menaced by men, possibly of Middle Eastern appearance, who pursued the pair before ramming their car and driving away.
This happened in Kuwait, by the way. I blame John Howard. Meanwhile, in local riot-related developments:
* A 33-year-old man—unnamed—has been charged for sending racist and inflammatory text messages.
* “Everybody knows the coppers hate Lebs,” says a Lebanese-Australian youngster. “Muslims are blamed for everything,” says another. “I can’t stand this country. I want to go back to Lebanon,” says a third.
* A 17-year-old faces charges of affray and riot following attacks on Lebanese-looking train passengers.
* Sydney beaches will soon feature police buggies.
* Two men have been charged for burning an Australian flag.
* Razi Azmi in Pakistan’s Daily Times: “Does Cronulla show that Australia is a racist country? Of course, some Australians are racist. But their numbers are miniscule … Few countries today can boast such a record of fair treatment of all its citizens, regardless of race, religion and origin, both in law and in practice. And none of those countries are situated in Asia, be it west, east, central, south or southeast.”
* Here’s a twist: “In Hawaii, the centre of the surfing world, ‘haoles’, or blond surfers, are banned from certain beaches by local toughs.”
* Sing along with Professor Bunyip!
- Charged with “affray and riot”? Love the legal terminology.Posted by paco on 2005 12 22 at 10:52 PM • permalink
- “Everybody knows the coppers hate Lebs,” – What about the Leb coppers?
“Muslims are blamed for everything,” – No mainly I blame the Labor Party.
“I can’t stand this country. I want to go back to Lebanon,” Want a lift to the airport?
Posted by Ralph Wiggum on 2005 12 22 at 11:05 PM • permalink
- haoles’, or blond surfers, are banned from certain beaches by local toughs.”
It’s been that way for a long time. When I lived there in the early 70’s I, a haole, used to get razzed occasionally while surfing at Sunset Beach.
On the other hand after I proved my worth in outrigger canoe racing I was welcomed with open arms by one of the premier all Hawaiian teams coached by legend Sam “Steamboat” Mokuahi.
People as individuals from all societies can be arsewhips.
Posted by Wallace-Midland Texas on 2005 12 23 at 12:18 AM • permalink
- ““I can’t stand this country. I want to go back to Lebanon,” says a third. “
Perhaps we should start accepting pledges to pay the airfare for any Leb who wants to go back and will renounce his Aust citizenship to do so?
I doubt it will cost us much.
Posted by Harry Buttle on 2005 12 23 at 01:31 AM • permalink
- Why is the name of the 25-year-old charged with burining an Australian flag not reported. Surely it would halp to calm the situation if people could be shown it did not contain the word “Mahommet.”Posted by Susan Norton on 2005 12 23 at 03:24 AM • permalink
- #1 – ‘riot’ and ‘affray’ are indeed specific, separate offences in Australia, with affray being the most serious. The degrees are:
Unlawful Assembly
It is a misdemeanour at common law for three or more persons to gather together either for the purpose of committing or preparing to commit a crime involving the use of violence or in order to carry out any purpose in an unlawful manner. The essence of this offence is that it has a tendency to create a breach of the peace.
Rout
If the persons gathered in an unlawful assembly begin to move towards the achievement of their object, in however small a way, they become guilty of the common law offence known as rout.
Riot
When the assembly has begun to execute the common purpose and, in so doing, displayed such violence as to alarm at least one person of reasonable firmness and courage, its members will, if they can be shown to intend to help one another by force if necessary, become guilty of the common law offence of riot.
Affray
Affray consists in participating unlawfully in a violent breach of the peace so as to cause terror to others. Usually the participation will occur by actual fighting, but brandishing offensive weapons is sufficient to constitute the offence. An affray may occur in either a public or private place and may be committed by one person alone. The accused’s action must be unlawful so that if, for example, he or she is merely defending him or herself no affray is committed. It is essential that the violence displayed by the accused should be of a nature calculated to terrify (rather than might terrify), a person of reasonable firmness. It is not, however, necessary to prove that persons present at the time were actually terrified. Nor is it necessary that a bystander be present. Rather it is sufficient if the unlawful fighting, violence or display of force was such that a bystander of reasonable firmness and courage, if present, might reasonably be expected to be terrified.
Posted by walterplinge on 2005 12 23 at 04:17 AM • permalink
- In the US flag-burning is the canary-in-the-mine safeguard of free speech. The right people get so angry about it that you want to preserve it as a good test. It remains protected as expression, at the moment ; and is constantly under attack. It reminds you that freedom is a dynamic sort of thing.
It looks like your canary died, however.
- #12 not so.
These guys were not charged with “burning an Australian flag’ as such, despite the headlines. There is no such offence.
They were charged with “malicious damage by fire” and entering premises with the intention of committing an indictable offence. If they had gone into the RSL club and set fire to a table umbrella they would have faced the same charges.
The canary still twitters and sings in fine voice.
- SBS tonight showed a police drama (Unit One) from Denmark. The episode dealt with a family of Middle Eastern origin, where the father anally raped the daughter for years (so she would still present as a virgin), then murdered her suitor and the suitor’s mother, and tried to escape blame by letting either his 13 year old son or the daughter herself take the rap. His wife assisted as an accessory after the fact of murder. In the final dramatic moment the father is prevented from killing the daughter with a shard of broken glass.
Is SBS therefore racist? Is Denmark? Or is there some other factor at work in this repeated representation – not just in “racist” Australia – of a migrating cultural disaster?
Am I going for the Kim Beazley Circumlocutional Prolixity Award here?
- ABC news seems to be following the overseas lead in dealing at length with anything controversial that Saddam coughs up on camera, but little if any coverage of the ongoing list of beatings, torture, and killing done under his auspices.
Are those nasty things only a problem if they are done by Westerners to terrorists or by Japanese to whales?
- Razi you’re a star…
Anyone getting as confused as me with the plethora of “this one did a racist thing,that one said a racist thing,this one burnt a flag,that one had a molotov cocktail…”
When there is talk of racial taunts at the cricket -who is sledging who?Are white Australians sledging white SAfricans? or are white Australian cricketers sledging Black SAfricans? Half the time you have no idea? As long as we beat New Zealand o.k?
- A bit off-topic…
But check out Osama’s hot niece!
- “Everybody knows the coppers hate Lebs”
Different place, different voices, but a familiar refrain.
There are many spots around the Hawaiian islands where haoles are unwelcome.
The more things change, yada yada yada…
Posted by Kyda Sylvester on 2005 12 23 at 04:30 PM • permalink
- ““I can’t stand this country. I want to go back to Lebanon,” says a third.”
I’ll be glad to chip in on the airfair for this loser. And I’m not even Australian.
Posted by Barbara Skolaut on 2005 12 23 at 07:26 PM • permalink
- #20
She’s almost as hot as a Queen of Jordan.Posted by Michael Lonie on 2005 12 23 at 08:07 PM • permalink
- I used to frequently see small groups of Middle Eastern-looking men on beaches in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. They seemed to have no trouble fitting in, never appeared threatening and enjoyed sharing the beaches without impinging on the rights of others.
The only thing you’d ever notice was that they’d occasionally break into a bit of Hebrew.
Posted by Smithovitch on 2005 12 23 at 08:45 PM • permalink
- Uh oh, scientists in the USA are killing a violence-reducing beetle
Scientists Target Tree-Killing Beetle
…Ash trees [that the beetle kills] are also valued for wildlife food and their strong wood used for furniture and baseball bats.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/24/AR2005122401173.html
