Seems that racism continues to thrive, with a bit of a blowup at Manly, a Sydney beachside suburb yesterday, Australia Day. Recall the Cronulla riots from just over 3 years ago, albeit yesterday was on a much smaller scale. Must be something in the salt water and sand that brings out the racist bogan.
Hundreds of youths draped in "Aussie pride" livery wore slogans declaring "f–k off we’re full" as they smashed car windows and ran up the main street targeting non-white shop keepers. Groups of men jumped up on cars chanting race hate to the terrified passengers within, and were heard singing "tits out for the boys" at passing girls and yelled "lets go f–k with these Lebs". What started as chants of "Aussie Aussie Aussie" at 1pm (AEDT) had in an hour had developed the potential to resemble Cronulla Beach in 2005. By 3.30pm (AEDT) Manly Police called in the public order and riot squad and PolAir in an attempt to control the crowd, made up of a core group of troublemakers estimated by police about 80 drunks teenagers.
Local police have since denied that the behaviour was racially motivated, and that no shopkeepers or ethnic groups were targeted. A police spokesman said:
"The crowd were intoxicated and boisterous but the claims of racism are unfounded,"
The police also claim that most of the troublemakers were not locals, but in fact from other parts of Sydney, particularly its far western suburbs.
But the police’s claims are disputed by Manly resident Nina Burridge, who was at The Corso when the celebrations turned ugly and has studied ethno-cultural diversity in communities, said there was no question the youths’ taunts and cheers were racially motivated. She said:
"It was a mix of hoodlums who had obviously been drinking as well but, to me, there was also an underlying element of racism dressed up as nationalism,"
"When they were gathering on the [oceanside] beachfront, that’s when they were screaming out ‘If you’re Aussie and you know it clap your hands’ and ‘If you’re white and you know it clap your hands’."
"When I was on the beach there was a bunch of them … and these are teenagers -15, 16-year-olds - with slogans on their backs and postcodes with Penrith and Londonderry,"
"If the Mayor of Manly Jean Hay and if the local police try and say there [was no racism involved] that’s actually putting their heads in the sand,"
"They’re downplaying the presence of some really ugly elements in there."
I find the wearing of the Australian flag as a cloak, and the Southern Cross tattoos and the like, quite offensive. Not in themselves of course, but because they have been appropriated by racist bogans, mainly young people, as symbols of white Australia, and these idiots excuse their behaviour in terms of being proud of their Australian-ness. The irony is that by acting out their white pride in these ways, they simply make our country something to be less proud of for the fair minded who are tolerant and accepting of diversity. I suppose the bogan rednecks couldn’t give a rat’s arse about that though.
