Australia Riots
I've travelled to a few countries in my time. Once I've been to a country, I tend to take an additional interest in it. Its part of me, I've been there.
Some years back, I had the pleasure of spending a one-week business trip to Sydney and Melbourne. I expected to like the place, but the reality was better than the expectation. Sydney, was a big, clean, modern city filled with cheerful, welcoming people. They're famous for partying, and there was plenty of that, but they work harder than they party, which should also be noted.
It is with complete astonishment some days back that I heard of " race riots " in the Cronulla beach area of Sydney. Australia is not without problems, but a surfing beach outside of Sydney is the last place on earth where I'd expect this type of thing.
It appears that groups of ethnic Lebanese male immigrants would hang out at the beach, insult the local girls, disregard the formal and informal traditions of the place. This has been going on for years it is said. Recently, groups of white Australian surfers and their friends got into a serious rumble with the Lebanese, leading to larger assaults against Lebanese all over the beach. The attacks continued for four days.
These gang attacks cannot and should not be tolerated by Australia.
But neither should the reported actions of the Lebanese be tolerated. I doubt that this lot acted like that in Beirut. They should not misunderstand the easy tolerance of Australia for weakness.
If you can't get along with the Australians, you cannot get along with anyone.
Reports
from CNN
from Sydney Morning Herald
in reality aus is a hard and tough place these sorts of things have been going on for years but not in this scale .the lebs in melb used to have their gang called the tigers and there were many of them.
if you go to melb their are vietnamese on every corner selling herion openly and stay in most pubs till stumps and your bound to get into a blue.
Posted by
William |
December 14, 2005 11:59 PM
I have a lot of affection for Australia, and like the Aussies I have met. What's happened recently is very disturbing to me.
They made an awful mistake letting some of these guys in the country, and the reward will be more riots and very likely a turn to the hard right politically.
Posted by
The Phantom |
December 15, 2005 12:15 AM
most of the ones involved in the riots are second generation lebenesse who still keep their own culture's.if we are to go to their countrys we have to abide by their laws but p.c has made some bad mistakes in appeasing their cultures hence no respect for aussie women.
Posted by
William |
December 15, 2005 1:51 AM
I've a lot of time for Aussies, but there is a sizeable minority of racist Aussies too. It's all very well to say you and I get on fine with them...we're not lebanese.
I have one other data point, but also anecdotal. I lived in Sweden for a time, and roomed with a lebanese family. I never had any problems with them, they were very easy to get on with, though occasionally I would find myself having surreal conversations with some of the extended family. I remember this one conversation where this girl was describing to me how she'd had to learn to use weapons to defend their homes against theft etc (they were quite rich back home). She was trying to describe a weapon to me and hadn't got the vocabulary...I thought she meant a pistol or something but after about 5 minutes I realised she was describing something more like a mortar. :-|
Posted by
Anonymous |
December 15, 2005 8:53 PM