The Cronulla Riots: Five Years On
Browny won our boardriders the day the riots came to Cronulla.
It was a peculiar and confounding time. Witnessing the events firsthand - the escalating week-long tension and the collective release of anger - was a bruising lesson in human nature. When I reflect upon it, I sense a grim inevitability to the riot; with so much passion, opinion and media focussed on an unprepared suburb it could only end one way. Its now been five years since the riot and I still wonder: Why did it happen here? Could it happen again?
On Sunday the 4th December 2005 two teenage lifeguards were assaulted by a group of Middle Eastern boys on North Cronulla beach. The incident provoked an immediate backlash and plans were made for a protest the following Sunday. Information spread through word-of-mouth and text messages commanding 'every fucking aussie' to 'reclaim the beach' and 'teach the wogs a lesson'.
Altercations and fights in Cronulla are common. Northies, the local pub, sees a dozen fights - white on white - each Friday and Saturday night. But the North Cronulla assault was different, and for three reasons: the perceived antagonists were Middle Eastern; the victims were lifeguards and hence considered icons and upholders of Australian values; and it occurred at the peak of the Howard-inspired rise of conservative values and indoctrinated fear of migrants.
The week leading up to the riot was highly charged. There is a dogged and proud ignorance in the Australian psyche and this was being shaken as people in Cronulla were forced to hold opinions on subjects they'd spent little time thinking. You couldn't buy milk without engaging in a heated debate. The media circus had come to town and most people found that when you are 'living' the issue it is far more complex than just reading about it.
I knew many people that intended to head down to the protest, some of them with high ideals. I spoke to a few friends who felt oppressed by political correctness and thought a protest would be an ideal opportunity to express their point of view. With the benefit of hindsight and knowing how the protest ended it is easy to dismiss such thinking. Yet they were friends, they were well-meaning and they had considered their position.
In the early afternoon of Sunday 11th December I rode my pushbike to the end of year presentation for our boardriders club. On the way I took a detour through the crowd amassing at North Cronulla. The numbers were well above those predicted and there were no police in sight. Organisation had been loose and no-one quite knew where to gather or what to do. Large groups of young men, bare-chested with flags draped over shoulders, walked the streets while sucking on beers. I continued to the presentation.
At approximately 3pm, just when Browny was accepting his pointscore trophy, the riots began.
At the time, a relationship had me spending a lot of time on the Northern Beaches and I often surfed at Curl Curl and Manly. Amongst some northside surfers I knew there was a tacit agreement that the riot was a good thing. People from Cronulla, and the Sutherland Shire in general, are often belittled for their perceived lack of cosmopolitan worldliness. But take geography out of the equation and surfers from Sydney's Northern Beaches had more in common with their Cronulla counterparts than they would readily admit.
Two weeks after the riots, with Christmas gone and Cronulla still in lockdown I fled for the South Australian desert coast. For three weeks I traipsed between Coffin Bay and Cactus sharing campfires with surfers from all over Australia. As happens in such situations, pleasantries are exchanged and stories swapped. Each night someone in the circle would inevitably say, 'you Cronulla guys really taught them wogs a lesson'.
It wasn't just a 'Shire thing' and it wasn't just a 'Sydney thing', it wasn't even just a 'surfer thing'. The problem was far wider than that.
The fact that the riot happened at Cronulla may be as simple as access - it is the only city beach with a train line. The public transport route allows the residents of Western Sydney, many from different racial backgrounds, to visit Cronulla. In summer it is one of the most ethnically diverse beaches in Australia and this leads to occasional bouts of racial tension.
There wasn't much diversity that summer though. The riot and the subsequent reprisals were worldwide news and Cronulla, although safe with police on permanent patrol, wasn't a nice place to visit. Olive branches were eventually extended from both sides and an intense period of cross-cultural promotion ensued.
I don't believe that the riots could occur in Cronulla again and it's not due to the aforementioned attempts at integration, which proved to be shortlived anyway. Lessons were learnt - harsh but practical - by many locals and, although existing attitudes may endure, they would be quick to recognise a repeat situation. I spoke to some who attended the protest yet were mortified when they became embroiled in a dispute that turned far more extreme than the one they signed up for.
Perhaps they still feel aggreived and frustrated by political correctness and having their voices unheard? After all, things haven't improved that much. Yet I vouch they will never attend another protest of that sort.
Personally, I found it alarming to see that during the last election both sides of governent used the fear of boat people to advance their party. Political red herrings such as this show that the seeds of intolerance and fear are still readily spread despite the lessons of Cronulla.
Unfortunately, for many people such lessons are only learnt by experience. Which means that there are many more people in many more suburbs that could make the same mistake those at Cronulla did. As was shown, it doesn't take much for a small, isolated incident to become a rallying point for a broader issue. And when it does, a seemingly harmless event can quickly spiral out of control.
*****
For further reading this excellent article was written by Clifton Evers and appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald two days after the riot.
Comments
As usual Clifton's articles are thoughtful and informative, and he has the guts to challenge the misconceptions that a lot of surfers have...well done.
"At the time, a relationship had me spending a lot of time on the Northern Beaches and I often surfed at Curl Curl and Manly. Amongst some northside surfers I knew there was a tacit agreement that the riot was a good thing. People from Cronulla, and the Sutherland Shire in general, are often belittled for their perceived lack of cosmopolitan worldliness. But take geography out of the equation and surfers from Sydney's Northern Beaches had more in common with their Cronulla counterparts than they would readily admit".
What do you mean by this Clif?
That NB's surfers also felt under siege by racially/culturally different "intruders"?
That the seeds of violence also lay dormant there ready to sprout?
Would love a little exposition on what you mean here.
Murphy and Steve,
Stu has written the above article, while the link at the bottom goes to Clif's article back on 2005.
I also was a bit confused and thought Clif had written both but that is not the case.
Sorry. Thought that was Stu's.
So Stu could you clarify?
Thanks Craig...what I meant Steve is that there was an element of advocacy in the way the riot happened. N Beaches people I knew at the time agreed with it, at least to a certain extent. From that I took that they were no different from the Cronulla locals, and had circumstances been different - say if a train line went to the N Beaches - the riot could well have happened there.
What I found when moving over from Adelaide is that Sydney seems to be segregated into different regions regarding cultural background and diversity.
Take the North Beaches for example, it seems to consist mostly of upper middle class white Australian's with very little intermixing of any other cultures. If you head over towards Brighton Le-Sands near the airport you find a big Greek and Italian community which is very different to the NB's, while out west is more Middle Eastern and Asian.
Adelaide is a much smaller city, and this inherently allow for greater cultural integration, but we don't seem to have this much segregation and separation between different races/cultures.
Maybe this has to be addressed in Sydney in some form so that everyone has a greater appreciation and respect for other cultures/races.
the most disturbing things was not that it escalated so much within the shire, it was taken to outer lying suburbs.. texts were going around wollongong and the south coast aswell.
and the majority of the people more than likely were completely oblivious to the reasoning of it all..
Good article Stu and Clifton does good work, i've read quite a bit of it. Growing up in the Nulla does give you further insight into the events that took place five years ago and many forget that Cronulla would often degenerate into a war zone on summer weekends in the late 80s and beyond. We never made it a welcome place, for anyone, white, Leb or martian - particularly if you used the train. I can remember one Saturday hanging out at the Jaffle Inn, opposite the train station, and being told by some older Alley Boys to tell a bunch of young guys of "Middle Eastern" appearance to "go home". That was 1991. And of course the name calling rapidly escalated into fighting. That went on for three years and there was one large brawl at night when we got our asses kicked during the winter of 1992 at LA Rock (terrible, terrible night club) by bombers. At that time for me, being a local was the most important thing in the world, including all the residual baggage that came with it. Soon, however, i just wanted to surf, and without all the other bullshit. I didn't care if bombers, lebs etc etc wanted to play music down the mall and have a swim, kick the ball around - they weren't taking waves from me? Yet it continued. And then many wondered why, years later, the groups of "Middle Eastern" males would turn up in greater numbers and more hostile. Of course i saw the same thing happen to body boarders and other surfers that used the train - if you couldn't ride a bike, scab a lift, or have a car, you were susceptible to verbal abuse or sometimes worse.
One point of the riots i found particularly interesting was the back story involving the clubbies. I have heard on good authority that those clubbie boys weren't exactly as innocent as the media made them out. And i found it really odd when many surfers decided to jump to the clubbies' defense. Some of my mates who were at the riots, defending Cronulla from the muslim hordes, were also the same guys that would sooner hug a pedophile than share a beer with a clubbie, and yet there they were, best mates, wrapped in Australian flags. It seems that the old wars and wounds were forgotten in an instant. Sun Tzu said: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
I did not attend the riots, nor do i believe that Cronulla needs protecting from those that come to swim. It is beach, people swim, surf and shop, and they have every right to. You no longer need approval to come and do those things - those days are long dead and better left that way. Cronulla and the Shire has been propagated with high rise, the wealthy have transformed its fibro shacks into hideous monoliths and cafe's inhabit the mall like zits on a teenager's back. Why didn't we all band together to stop that? Guess you can't stop progress.
Anyway, thanks to the "protesters" for keeping my beach "safe" and let's not forget keeping my women "safe", cause youse respect em so much. I hope those aussie flags keep you warm at night.
bman for Australian Of The Year!
lived at Brighton le Sands and surfed Cronulla and Maroubra late 60s
Moved to Cronulla when married in 70s and later moved to the northern beachers. I am still surfing now in my late sixties and revisit Cronulla.
When I heard about the vexatious activities of our middle eastern visitors and the call for a protest I thought aussies including myself are apathetic and there would probably be a small turn out.
My wife and surfing mates said dont go because the opposition wil probably have an army : weapons and it will be the usual ten to one and there take over will be complete.
I had to park about 20 minutes from the beachfront and was surprised about the massive crowd some off them draped in aussie flags.
The mood was not aggressive quite opposite people played cricket
and it was like a pre party atmosphere.
I stayed about 30 minutes and thought they dont need me and headed for home.
On the way home I heard about the fracas...the socalled riot.
Later I was incensed to hear that all participants at the protest where labelled racists by the ignorant people who where not there and where obviously not aware of the abhorent behaviour of the people we where protesting about.
The crowd was estimated at over 5000 and less than 100 where involved
in any fracas and a smaller number in anything serious. A catalyst fo the stirring off the crowd was that it was rumoured that a train load off protestees was arriving at Cronulla Station. But it was the takeover mentality and behaviour off our visitors that was the impetus for the protest.
lived at Brighton le Sands and surfed Cronulla and Maroubra late 60s
Moved to Cronulla when married in 70s and later moved to the northern beachers. I am still surfing now in my late sixties and revisit Cronulla.
When I heard about the vexatious activities of our middle eastern visitors and the call for a protest I thought aussies including myself are apathetic and there would probably be a small turn out.
My wife and surfing mates said dont go because the opposition wil probably have an army : weapons and it will be the usual ten to one and there take over will be complete.
I had to park about 20 minutes from the beachfront and was surprised about the massive crowd some off them draped in aussie flags.
The mood was not aggressive quite opposite people played cricket
and it was like a pre party atmosphere.
I stayed about 30 minutes and thought they dont need me and headed for home.
On the way home I heard about the fracas...the socalled riot.
Later I was incensed to hear that all participants at the protest where labelled racists by the ignorant people who where not there and where obviously not aware of the abhorent behaviour of the people we where protesting about.
The crowd was estimated at over 5000 and less than 100 where involved
in any fracas and a smaller number in anything serious. A catalyst fo the stirring off the crowd was that it was rumoured that a train load off protestees was arriving at Cronulla Station. But it was the takeover mentality and behaviour off our visitors that was the impetus for the protest.
Very complex argument which will no doubt draw a lot of passion from both sides. I must say Hallo has hit the nail on the head. It took a few idiots to send the get together into a riot. But lets look at the reaction from the Middle Eastern Community. That is exactly what the protest was about in the first place. Knives, bats, people bashed to a pulp, damage to property.
I am from Victoria where there is generally no real issue with Race. Most people down here get along just fine. For the most part racism is nonexistent. Apart from the odd general slur which usually would only arise in the heat of the moment, racism is generally not tolerated.
However spending some time up in Sydney, I must say that the feeling is very different. You only have to look on gumtree for a share house. “No foreigners†is sadly a fairly standard posting which you will not see when looking for similar properties in and around Melbourne. One must ask what is the source of the problem? I would say it involves both sides of the fence. Either way Sydney siders of all backgrounds should take a long hard look at themselves. The government and its policy on migration is also to blame. If we are allowing people into this country who don’t want to assimilate, and adhere to “current day Australian values†then there lies the problem...
By the way “Current day Australian values†refers to those values shared by the majority of citizens of this country be it from European, Asian, Middle Eastern, or whatever background who simply want to live a long, happy, peaceful and prosperous life.
was going stay out of this one,
I'd just like to say that i was on tour round oz at the time this all went down with crew of indigenous performers. the resounding feeling in the tour bus by the crew was that this was yet another attack of white verse "everyone else". So i guess you can say that all the "locals" whom teamed together to stop there local being "invaded", completely forgot that they only been "local" for a few generations and in the process offended the traditional owners of the land.
Whom we did far worse things too in order to allow us to live where we do.
Maybe our new years resolutions should lean towards peace and understanding. As i assume most of us on this website, are pretty much tourists, give or take a generation or two.
Merry christmas, and a happy new year. Drive safe and say g'day to a few peeps, might be easier to live together if we communicate and open our eyes a little.
and in reference to stu's comment re northern beaches. I was born in manly and grew up round the area as a grommet, I'd suggest your dealing with more racism and fear of the unknown in the NB than many other parts of syd.
cheers peace con
Good article Stu, and some well thought out comments from the gents.
Just to add something of no value at all, the Sutherland Shire is possibly the most concentrated middle class white-bread aussie district in Oz. That lack of exposure probably helped build the hysteria.
Equally, those of ethnic extraction who were involved had been making a nuisance of themselves for years, and are not representative of their culture at all.
In the end, it was more about stupid, drunk, angry young men.
but while we're here, let's not forget Alan Jones part in helping to build up the tension via his radio show. How he avoided getting pinged by laws against inciting a riot, I'll never know. The cops didn't even visit him.
batfink_and_karate,
well said
I agree with batfink_and_karate and niggly, spot on!
Look how far we've come. The "CRONULLA RIOTS 10 YEAR MEMORIAL" is happening this December in Don Lucas Reserve, Cronulla.
https://www.facebook.com/partyforfreedom.aust/photos/a.354226358080742.1073741828.354106381426073/488602394643137/?type=3&theater
"It is going to be a day to remember the time Cronulla locals stood up against years of physical, verbal and even sexual abuse perpetrated by Muslim gang members. We all know the countless stories of south-west Sydney gangs preying on Aussies in the most despicable and racially degrading ways possible.
The scars will only heal when our state and federal governments acknowledge the failure of state sanctioned multiculturalism coupled with incompatible Islamic immigration and apologise to all Australians for forcing genocide upon the great people of this nation.
Cronulla Riots memorial - a time to reflect."
Haha we have some real derros in this lucky country of ours.
What are you talking about Yocal? These guys are patriots.
"The scars will only heal when our state and federal governments...apologise to all Australians for forcing genocide upon the great people of this nation. "
Are they referring to Aboriginals? Has there been another genocide I'm not aware of?
I'm struggling a little with that point too. Might wander down there December 12th for some clarification.
I dunno about you guys but that picture sure as hell aint cronulla lol!
hahaha i didn't notice the skyline. Love how the typefont & love heart/flag makes it look like a cheap bali t-shirt. Theme on point.
Wow, I don't think this is going to end too well.
All Arabs unite as one, we will never back down
The Aussies will feel the full force of the Arabs, destroy everything
gather at Cronulla December 18th at midday...spread the word
together exterminate the enemy at Cronulla. Send this to every lion of Lebanon
TXT message from 2005.
Just change the date to Dec 12th.....this will get ugly !
This is a few years old now but makes for compelling reading.
From what I've been reading in the Oz news lately, some of his predicted chickens have proverbially come home to roost.
http://www.australian-news.net/Tim_Priest.htm
Tim Priest seems to be caught up in the midst of a bad situation and is calling it as he sees it rather than being more objective and so he faces a lot of criticism.
I perfer to step back and consider the situation differently. We're just another country on this planet facing a new era of accelerated Global interconnection & multiculturalism. Crime behaviour from war-torn/corrupt/desperate countries is increasing rapidly within our borders. To uphold our societal values we need to enforce the law appropriately, but also set examples of behaviour to lend toward a long term positive outcome.
This memorial day is unlikely to set examples of good behaviour, instead it is based on the celebration of a violent outlash from members of a community that broke the law & trampled the non-violent culture which they are fighting so hard to protect.
What RIOTS I was there right in the middle of it there were a few drunken dumb shit
stunts for sure nothing outrages. No cars on fire no one really bashed nobody killed
no shops on fire no looting fuck it was really a piss up. Not to mention most of the trouble makers weren't from Cronulla or surfers.
But did we all here about when these cowardly scumbags came in gangs late at night and did untold millions of dollars damage to cars, houses, shops and property until they finally found some innocent on his own and killed him. How about the fact they never found the culprits even thou it was on cct camera. The police supressed most of this information to our detriment and when any thing did come out of it they called it racial retaliation like it was all justified. What fucken bullshit this country is being totally ruined by this scum and the law protects them and smashes us for saying enough is enough. Just imagine if we carried on like that in their war torn shit hole of a country. Eat more bacon I say.
Dammit you are right Evosurfer! I just Googled "Cronulla Riots" then clicked through to all the associated Images. Too many photos depicted of the gathering in Cronulla during the day, and not the aftermath that night.
So tell me, which of the Middle-Eastern men in each image getting bashed were the ones who caused all the years of trouble to the local community? Was it all of them or none of them?
I see the word 'protest' is used in the article several times...what was this 'protest' about/for again?
As an aside, I've mentioned elsewhere on other threads, the Federal make-up of the Northern Beaches/City Beaches/Cronulla electorates. Wow, what a surprise, hey fellow surfers?
Evo is spot on. It was an absolute disgrace that the 'retaliation' was covered up. The damage done by the retaliators was a thousand times worse than by the 'rioters' yet we are so quick to avoid condemnation of ethnic groups that we give tacit assent to their actions. Just like when we are attacked by terrorists in Australia the Fairfax media and left-wing politicians are more worried about retaliation on Muslims than they are with the atrocities suffered by the victims.
I have a mate that had a commodore crash through his front lounge room, now that is an attack! and it happens every other day in Australia.... not always a commodore though a few falcons have been trashed too...
Obviously driven by a local that fully represents the true Australian values they were defending in Cronulla.
You should be very scared of the terrorists mate they will come to get us all....
Ignorance is a terrible thing and is tearing this world appart
"although existing attitudes may endure, they would be quick to recognise a repeat situation"
hope your right bro
A worse "riot " at the soccer last night.
Makes me ashamed to be Australian.
Poor fella my country.
LOL.
JKS.
Invasion is the new immigration.
memorial eh? they lost a lot of good men out there...
I propose the memorial plaque read as follows -
Donny was a good bowler, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors... and bowling, and as a surfer he explored the beaches of Southern California, from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and... up to... Pismo. He died, like so many young men of his generation, he died before his time. In your wisdom, Lord, you took him, as you took so many bright flowering young men at Khe Sanh, at Langdok, at Hill 364. These young men gave their lives. And so would Donny. Donny, who loved bowling. And so, Theodore Donald Karabotsos, in accordance with what we think your dying wishes might well have been, we commit your final mortal remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean, which you loved so well. Good night, sweet prince.
Thoughts, etc?
We will need a moderately priced receptacle bro.
These people believe in nothing, MickyFanny
Yocal not 100% on what your angling towards but what I remember was the so called bashing were to random nobodies by pissed non surfers and nobody from Cronulla. The only local really involved with anything who was severely bashed by a mob of lebbos before and stupidly drunk on the day jumped on a cop car. He was harassed by police so much after that he ended up committing suicide. A extremely talented surfer a local character and very much missed.
The only lebbo bashed and surely smashed was a chick who called us every ugly thing
you could imagine and totally out fort by a blonde haired aussie beauty.
Evo, not 100% on what your angling towards either. So you're saying you don't want to be associated with the people who did the bashing, except for the foul mouthed lebanese lady who had it coming?
But you do approve of the memorial day, but only Cronulla locals should turn up, cause its nobody else's business?
And you are disappointed with the outcome of that day in general, but you have no problem with a similar rally being held again because it is what you believe strongly about?
As long as she was white with blond hair - sounds like she was definitely one of the chosen ones from the Master Race...
Now that was a blue !
There was a couple of old cobbers watching from an apartment window , providing a running commentary....
Spectator 1 : " Give it to the bitch ! Kick her cunt in !"
Spectator 2 : " Yeah, kick it in here ."
Good times.
Ahh Blowin, you smooth talking devil!
Multicultarism/ culture, is a bit like cordial
The more concentrated the cordial, the stronger the drink
The more I dilute it, the weaker it becomes
Worse yet, if what I'm mixing it it with is adversarial to the mix I'll get a ( negative ) reaction
So not only weaker, but also reactionary and divisive
Political correctness didn't just pop out of thin air
It was created to stifle any criticism of the multicultural lie
Noting the fact that the far majority of countries are full on NON multi culti, ..... why and who is forcing that ball of fuckery down western nations gullets?
The-roller, have you seen this? Straight from the horses mouth
https://m.
Well I really like multiculturalism and wholeheartedly encourage it.
Can't quite get my head around why you'd oppose it...
The term ( multiculturalism ) itself is dubious
Looks to me it was devised to weaken and devide western culture
Shouldnt it be about assimilation??
Have you heard of sharia law??
Assimilation, multiculturalism, call it what you want, the fact is society and culture is always fluid anyway. The values that we think inherently 'Australian' would be positively alien to an Australian of 50 years ago. The sooner people accept this and move on the better we'll all be.
Of course I've heard of Sharia law. Why do you ask..?
@stunet … this discussion can go many different tangents but I would say most on this blog are finding the current so called 'multiculturalism' is not what is aimed at by the government.
Namely - multicultural policies require all Australians to accept the basic structures and principles of Australian society - the Constitution and the rule of law, tolerance and equality, Parliamentary democracy, freedom of speech and religion, English as the national language and equality of the sexes.
The influence of religion and the invariable conflicts with the current laws is a significant one and I would say a major source of conflict.
I would say that overwhelmingly all those policies are adhered to. That's my observation anyway. Sure there're breaches, let's work through them, it's worth it to live in a multicultural country.
I see a lot of suburban racists on social media making far too big a deal about "their rights" being infringed upon. A recent post by a semi-famous surfer had a familiar refrain: "Soon we wont be able to do Australian things like have a pie at the footy with our kids!"
WTF?
Don't think this surfer or any of the other garden variety racists on FB had ever had "their rights" infringed upon and were simply looking for a cover for their Islamaphobia.
Not that I'm saying people on this thread are doing the same...
Here here.
The great thing about the Democratic Western world is it's long historical push toward social liberty. Freedom to do as you choose so long as you don't defy the core morals embedded in our culture & protected by our legal system. A system which has been developed over many hundreds of years to protect our individual freedoms from extortion and manipulation. Australia is privy to one of the most liberal legal systems in the world, and despite some inherent gaps (which are often exposed by the press & social media) that some people unfortunately fall through, overall we are lucky to be able to speak freely & live as equals.
We give people the right to choose their religion & cast their opinion openly. This freedom is protected by removing the right for people to discriminate against others for their religious beliefs and opinions. All forms of violence are not tolerated in Australia. This is a core value of our society, nobody wants to walk down the street in this country in fear of being bashed purely for their ethnic background.
So why any Aussie would deliberately break these laws that were developed in order to protect their hard earned rights is beyond me. It goes directly against what they think they are fighting for! Its also completely against the morals of what it is to be Australian in 2015.
The migration occurring in Australia is minuscule compared to what other countries have to endure so the xenophobics really need to harden up. Don't get caught up believing that our social liberties are at risk and that we need to fight on the streets to save them. Take a look at the ABS statistics on the quantities of migrants living in Australia in 2014.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3412.0Main%20Features32013-14?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3412.0&issue=2013-14&num=&view=
"Persons born in the United Kingdom continued to be the largest group of overseas-born residents, accounting for 5.2% of Australia's total population at 30 June 2014. This was followed by persons born in New Zealand (2.6%), China (1.9%), India (1.7%) and the Philippines and Vietnam (each 1.0%)." All other overseas-born residents make up less than 1% each. The total is around 28% migrants living in Australia in 2014.
28% of Australians in 2014 were born overseas. If all the above 'newly' Australian migrants (POMEs, Kiwis, Chinese, Indians, SE Asians and the sub 1%ers) stubbornly detested the fact that we ate pies at a footy game, do you really reckon the other 72% of Australia would vote for a politician who wanted to introduce anti-pie eater laws?
...what about Bacon?
...what about how a woman is allowed to dress in public?
Here's the statistic on Religious affiliation in Australia:
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/bb8db737e2af84b8ca2571780015701e/bfdda1ca506d6cfaca2570de0014496e!OpenDocument
Hey Stu, re garden variety racists, here's a little speech ( for lack of better term) from the 'Hawaiian' Eddie Rothman
Would you consider that ' garden variety racism?
Just curious
Ps, according to tracks mag -
Rothman, who was born to Jewish parents in Pennsylvania
Go figure
With pipe comp coming up .......wonder what Eddies got to say this year .
Racism is general born from people/culture that doesn't want to blend with their host country value's. That is what happened in Cronulla.
Yes it was taken over by Extremist white groups but it was the extremist ethic groups that pushed the envelope.
Cronulla has had major problems with this type for years but the police sat back and allowed alot of this behaviour go un-checked because powers to be said to let it go or it will come across as racism.
I do know because I am local and I do have a very good relationship with the police.
Since then it has been very peaceful and the same ethic groups that have come down before and after this ( Muslim ) are enjoying what they have/had before these fuckwits.
The bottom line is there were no Cronulla riots end of story.
Fucken media beat up as usual.
Nick that is just plain wrong nothing to do with extremist white groups
they were normal guys overrun by a few drunken white kids.
Stunet 50 years ago we had a lot more freedom.
Yeah we white men did hey. Could even drive home from the pub blind as a bat before they stopped us from doing that!
Story not ended Evo...
An anger filled party in a park sparked a number of bashings and then the targeted group retaliated, smashed shopfronts up and and groups of men from both sides of the situation fought in groups in the street which had to be brought under control by a riot squad unit who were called to break up a riot. Pretty sure that's a Riot mate.
Evo you are just plain wrong. There was neo-Nazi groups floating around inciting the dumb ass drunk locals.
But I do agree the whole riot thing was a major beat up.