Racist rants – it’s Perth’s turn

Sadly despite the successful apprehension and prosecution of racist abusers  and the increased willingness of normal members of the public to make a stand against these abusers we still get stories like these surfacing.

Unfortunately both stories are from Perth this time. Curiously too, the attacks were both from people from ethnic minorities.

The first involves a series of unhinged racist tweets made to West Coast Eagles star Nic Naitanui by Vinh Nguyen.

Read more:  Man charged over racist tweets to Nic Natanui

 

The second was a train ranter who targeted a young  Asian woman

Source

Racism And Technology Is Evolving Faster Than The Law

Reblogged from Vice

By The Anti Bogan  | Aug 6 2014

Hey remember that racist lady on the train? You know, the one who offered the heartfelt apology on Channel 7 while using a pseudonym? Yeah, she was horrible but she said sorry so she’s not racist anymore and anyway it was justified because she’s been the victim of racism before and she isn’t really a racist because she has a friend who is half Indian. And it’s okay too because she was splashed across mainstream, independent and social media for days and charged by police for public racial abuse within 48 hours. Thank goodness that’s over and will never happen ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, again.

When it comes to dealing with public discrimination, Australia has the state and federal legislation, but not the teeth. When a YouTube video of a venomous bigot spitting racial diatribe goes viral, it becomes newsworthy. It’s pure gold to mainstream television networks that push voyeuristic sensationalism to an audience hungry for car accidents, home invasions, shootings, and dogs on surfboards.

When this chunk of people power feels offended it’s suddenly vital for authorities and tall poppies to be seen to address the issues immediately. Enter the police spokesperson or local member for Boganville.

It often feels like incidents of racism are on the rise—particularly at the lowly public-transport-riding-citizen level. But a contributing factor is that every person with a mobile phone is now carrying a video camera. The same can be seen in the online world of racism: levels of bigotry have always existed, but now anyone with the Internet has a public voice and the ability to publish their opinions to the world. Camera phones and You Tube may give the impression that we’re more sensitive to racial injustice than our parents, but the actual system in place to protect people against racism is about as effective as clicking ‘like’ on a Facebook post.

Racism was, is and will always be a problem. But the less visible issue arising now is that our legal system isn’t evolving at the same rate as our racist outlets. The enforceable statutes that are in place to protect people from barbs of discrimination are clear and imposing, yet were implemented in a time when incidences of public rants and raves were limited to drunks and creeps on the street beating their chests and dragging their knuckles. It is frequently asserted that people can be ‘prosecuted’ or ‘convicted’ under the Racial Discrimination Act. It is regularly said that section 18C serves to protect hurt feelings at the expense of free speech. In actual fact, neither assertion is true. Additionally, 1 out of every 3 complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is declined due to a complex variety of reasons.

At the most basic level, the Racial Discrimination sector of the AHRC states that racial discrimination is against the law and that citizens may lodge complaints. But it continues by stating that it is “not a court” and cannot prove that discrimination has occurred. Additionally, the HRC will generally only accept complaints lodged by a member of the affected group. For example, if you are offended at a television advertisement where Indian people are portrayed in a negatively generalising way, you may only lodge a complaint with the HRC if you are of Indian descent.

At the authoritative level, making a statement at your Local Area Command (LAC) police station will generally prove to be fruitless as well. Officers will tell you that in order to act on online threats or acts of discrimination they will need to conduct an investigation into whether or not the person on the other end is who they say they are. According to one Constable at a local Sydney LAC, it would take up to three months to perform what is called an iASK. This is the same procedure undertaken by police officers when responding to victims of harassment via email or mobile phone. Dealing with online harassment is difficult due to the fact that people share computers and are tech savvy enough to use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) that throw their IP location to far reaching corners of the world.

At the holy-shit-I-just-want-to-be-protected level, officers may assist you in applying for a PVO (Personal Violence Order), which can prevent a certain person from harassing you, but this is a lengthy procedure and requires you to be present in a court of law. Additionally, it only prevents one person from harassing you and does not stop them harassing others in the same way.

Our impotence to fight racism isn’t just confined to trolls, but rather compounded by a Scott Morrison inspired Government that attempts to demonize asylum seekers by calling them “economic migrants”. Our own Attorney General George Brandis floated the idea to remove what little protection we presently have (see Section 18C Racial Discrimination Act) because “people have the right to be bigots”. Luckily that didn’t come to fruition.

To say our discrimination legislation is in need of a refresh in an understatement— it was drawn up in a time when our Indigenous population was being referred to as “fauna” and refused the vote. Racism in Australia is an ugly shrouded reality, one generally muffled and confined to family homes and the boozy BBQs. In Australian culture racism is like smoking, just because it’s not allowed in public spaces doesn’t mean a huge section of the population is willing to give it up.

Media and law enforcement should be reacting to online discrimination with the same vehement opposition afforded to public transport bigots with equally, if not harsher penalties. Unlike Sue Wilkins (aka Karen Bailey), there are literally tens of thousands of bigots lining up on social media to offer their real names, smiling faces, and Bali holiday snaps in stark juxtaposition with their hate-filled opinions of people who are culturally, religiously, sexually, physically and politically different minded. To the rest of us, these people are achingly awkward and produce uncomfortable giggles and smirks. It’s hard to laugh at discrimination, but easy to guffaw at nutjobs who are losing their shit on public transport. Poor fools. They’re in a way the victims, to be honest. Victims of a sensationalist media and fear-striking Government that wants them to think they’re in need of saving from the unwashed, coloured mob.

Of course it is naïve to believe that discrimination will fade away and see us living in a harmonic utopia simply on the back of harsher penalties and legislation. It takes a multi-pronged and sustained effort of education, shifts in media and entertainment, endorsement from influential people, denouncement from politicians, and better guidance from parents to see bigots change their ways. But first things first, we need 21st century protections against abuse – if racism and hate can keep up with the times we need to make sure so can we. And if heaven forbid, you ever find yourself chucking a wobbly at some Asian on a hot train on your way home from 28 failed job applications, just make sure you say sorry and pretend your name is Richard Head.

Macquarie Park Railway Station racist rant leaves immigrant ‘shocked and traumatised’

THE HILLS

Robbie Patterson       Northern District Times
August 28, 2013 9:30AM

Henri Fanda who works at Macquarie Park was racially abused by a commuter at Macquarie Park Station when he was with his young daughter and her friend. Source: News Limited

A MAN who suffered a racist tirade at a Sydney train station wants CCTV footage posted on YouTube to shame his attacker.

Henri Fanda who works at Macquarie Park was racially abused by a commuter at Macquarie Park Station when he was with his young daughter and her friend. Source: News Limited

Jakarta-born Henri Fanda his daughter, 10, and her friend were waiting for the lift next to a middle-aged caucasian man at Macquarie Park Train Station.

Mr Fanda said the man “unleashed” a string of profanity-laden racist comments, leaving he and his daughter “disappointed, shocked and traumatised”.

Gladesville Police are examining CCTV from the station.

“I was waiting for the lift while this man, he would have been about 50, was in front of me … I had taken my daughter and her friend to a Total Girl Magazine photo shoot, so they were a little excited,” Mr Fanda said.

“When the lift arrived he went in first followed by the girls and then me. I thought I heard him swearing or not very happy … I asked ‘what’s wrong mate’?

“He just turned around and unleashed.

“He said ‘you don’t belong in this country, go back to your country’.”

Mr Fanda has lived in the country since 1988 and became an Australian citizen four years ago.

The man told Mr Fanda that one of the girls had ran into him, but that both girls denied it.

“But even if they did, come on, they’re just kids,” he said.

To Mr Fanda’s surprise another man, about 70, got on the lift that “was taking an awfully long time to move”, who also abused him.

“I was just lost for words … I didn’t want to confront him … my daughter was nearly in tears,” he said.

Mr Fanda wants the CCTV footage released on YouTube to shame his attackers and “show people how ugly racism is”.

Gladesville Police crime manager Detective Inspector Doug Revette said police were investigating whether they was enough evidence to charge the man with racial vilification.

“We were investigating whether under the anti-discrimination act it is racial vilification. But the act is quite restrictive because it usually involves physical violence,” Insp Revette said.

Racial vilification carries a $5,500 fine and potential for six months in jail.

“There is no place for it in today’s society,” he said, addling that racially-charged verbal abuse can escalate into very serious crime, very quickly.”

Source

Open Letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

We have read your new policy on asylum seeker boat arrivals. It is an audacious policy which no doubt took your colleagues and the rest of the ALP by surprise.

Without necessarily supporting what you did we understand why you made the arrangements you did with PNG Prime Minister Peter O’ Neill. In that one gesture you apparently shored up your racist and bigoted constituency in marginal seats, wedged Tony Abbott and his three-word bogan slogans and attempted to appease those ethical and compassionate people with genuine concerns about unsafe boats full of asylum seekers attempting hazardous voyages.

We will not go into the details of the policy. It has been thoroughly reported by the media somewhat starved of controversy in the last week or so, along with the usual commentary from the usual media suspects such as conservative commentator Paul Sheehan, who has spent the last three years telling people what a dreadful government we have but has suddenly discovered that asylum seekers sometimes drown, so desperate are they to find a safe place to live.

We are somewhat surprised that a country your government’s own DFAT travel advice website has warned Australian travellers is a security risk should be deemed acceptable for asylum seekers as a place of settlement. There seems to be a bit of careless racism implicit in that.

So while you tick those boxes off may we remind you that the ongoing hysteria about asylum seekers is not going to go away. That same constituency which you think you have placated will continue to hate and vilify new arrivals, no matter how they arrived in this country.

• They will continue to defame the small population of Muslims in Australia, those who were born here as well as those amongst the new arrivals.
• They will continue to abuse women and men in religious garments in the street because they “dress differently”.
• They will target the 13% of the population who either emigrated from Asia or who are the descendants of those of Asian descent who have lived in Australia for many years, along with the many Asian students here for an education.
• They will continue to racially abuse people, including children, on buses and trains because they “look different” or “speak different”.
• These individuals will continue to gather in vile hate groups on social media, and to infest the comments columns of newspapers.

So Kevin we need an undertaking from you that you are going to address this xenophobia, because you and the government are the only ones who can do so.

We want an undertaking that you and your MPs will explicitly address and overturn the unfounded fears and festering hatred of this misguided sector of the electorate, because you are supposed to govern on behalf of normal Australians, not just expediently at election time for the passing whims of the haters.

Then we may again be a fit country to receive and welcome newcomers to a safe and secure life, because at the moment we are not.

In anticipation

theantibogan

E mail: theantibogan@gmail.com

www.theantibogan.wordpress.com

Twitter:     @theantibogan

Racist rant caught on camera in East Perth

PerthNow June 07, 2013 9:58PM

A WOMAN has been caught on camera racially abusing another passenger on a train in East Perth.

A commuter filmed the aggressive, expletive-laden rant, which lasted more than a minute, at the McIver station on Thursday afternoon.

It was aimed at another woman, who was trying to stop a handbag from being stolen.

A teenage boy tries to push away the woman who was yelling the abuse and stop her from speaking by covering her mouth, but she persists.

The Public Transport Authority wouldn’t comment on the video to Nine News.

It is the latest in a series of racist outbursts on public transport in Australia that have been filmed by disgusted onlookers.

In February, ABC News presenter Jeremy Fernandez was the subject of a racist attack on a Sydney bus.

Source

The gathering of the Scotts – ” ‘She was SCREAMING! With LOVE for her own people!’ “

Not content with huddling in their very own hate groups, several of the more daring xenophobes have ventured out to make their unwelcome appearance at mainstream Facebook sites, specifically at fan sites for various current affairs programmes.

We understand how it must be frightening for them to be confronted by normal people, and especially so when these normal people actually dare to argue a different, more normal viewpoint.

The nerve of them…

Perennial favourite lonely impaired white guy Scott Pengelly was first out of the starter’s gate recently at Weekend Sunrise as he moaned and complained bitterly at public reaction to the unhinged racist on the train we recently featured.

Then Scott lets everyone know why the demented harridan was screaming racist insults on the train…well only in Scott’s alternate universe could you come up with an explanation like this.

And along came one of Scott’s besties,  the Nazi commenting at the bottom with some cut-and-paste dirge from every failed neo-Nazi group we have seen.

Lots of disturbing content on this guy’s profile. And we don’t think he’s joking either.

Then along comes another Scott. This one is from Queensland, used to be in the Army (thankfully not there now) , follows crazy Christian Danny Nalliah’s new political party and likes to mouth off in the usual ignorant fashion about Muslims and Islam. He starts off by having a go at Andrew O’ Keefe, the presenter and points out that O’ Keefe “laughed and scoffed” at Wilders.

Well guess what Scotty, we all did. That clown is the Eurojoke of the decade.

One unnamed commenter sums Scott up nicely. Scott’s response?

Err… may we interrupt to remind Scott that cutting off heads etc was fairly normal battlefield behaviour back then. Perhaps Scott should have paid more attention at school when they studied Macbeth.

The great Irish patriot Hugh O’ Neill used to take their tongues as well and the great Scottish patriot William Wallace was a dab hand with the broadsword, being 195 cms tall and built to match (unlike weedy little anti-Semite Mel Gibson, who played him in the movie).

The “child bride” myth about the Prophet Mohammed is unlikely and apocryphal – but hey that madman Khomeini believed it, so obviously in Scott’s Islamophobic world it must be true.

David Bates then carries on about how “we” feel about Muslims – do us a favour idiot and speak for yourself or “we” might just give you a special sorting out.

Bigots don’t speak for Australia

Speaking of which Scott rounds off with a lament for a simpler time when no doubt he’d have been forced by his feudal lord to marched across a  hostile Europe, risk death from bandits and lethal contagious diseases for which there was then no cure, starved more often than not, perpetually in danger from human traffickers and faced with a fanatical and well-armed foe.

That was what the Crusades were really about.