Paris Down Under

12 December 2005



Australia Suffers Second Day of Race Riots

The French aren’t the only ones who have a problem integrating Muslims into their society. At least, that is the conclusion one draws from a second day of rioting in Sydney, Australia, between white youths and those of Middle Eastern, Muslim origin. It is ugly, painful to watch, and entirely contrary to what the nation wants to be in the 21st century.

Race in Australia has been a factor in its cultural identity from day one. The First Australians, those whose ancestors came there 40,000 years or so ago, still haven’t been very well integrated into the broader society. There was a “White Australia” immigration policy in place (meaning virtually no one from neighboring countries except New Zealand could come) until 1966, with the last of it gone in 1973. Since then, Australia has accepted geographic reality – Asians are more likely to arrive than Europeans simply because of the distances. Since then, the government has tabled the “New Agenda for Multicultural Australia” followed by “Multicultural Australia: United in Diversity.” The die is clearly cast.

Regrettably, a cosmopolitan society is easier to suggest than it is to create. On Sunday, angered by reports (which at this stage seem to be true) that two young men of Middle Eastern descent attacked a lifeguard (the only thing more Australian than a lifeguard on the beach is a kangaroo), some 5,000 white youths turned up at Cronulla beach in southern Sydney where they rioted. Cronulla is one of the few beaches reachable by public transportation, and consequently, popular among poorer residents of the city. And many of them are from the Middle East. In response, scores or hundreds of young Arabs destroyed property around Sydney.

Now, 5,000 people don’t just show up. There had to be some coordination from someone. Combine the racial dimension in Australian culture (a generation isn’t enough time to make it go away – ask an American) with terrorists attacks on Australians (the Bali bombing killed 88 Aussies -- 6 from Cronulla, where a monmument to them stands), and the knuckle-dragging racists were bound to turn up. One kid had painted his back with “We grew here, you flew here.” Someone else wrote in the sand, “100 percent Aussie pride.” This is not to say the fault lies only there. An Australian flag is reported to have been removed from a building in Brighton-le-Sands, near Cronulla, and burned by “immigrant” kids.

The establishment in Australia is on the right side of this. “Let’s be very clear, the police will be unrelenting in their fight against these thugs and hooligans,” said Morris Iemma, the leader of New South Wales. The headline of this morning’s Sydney Daily Telegraph showed a picture of an Arab-looking fellow being attacked by whites – the headline read “Our Disgrace.” The Kensington Review has a soft spot for Australia, and it is particularly painful to see a friend’s home trashed like this. One can only hope this gets rooted out quickly and that decent people prevail. People like Kuranda Seyit, director of the Forum of Australia’s Islamic Relations, who said Australia is a “pluralist society, with many faiths and traditions all raveled into one. This is the unique success of this nation, and we cannot let it fall into chaos and lawlessness.” Good on him.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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