37. RACISM in AUSTRALIA

Alan Jones, Cronulla and Racism

If you click on this LINK it will take you to a MEDIAWATCH SITE.
If you then RIGHT CLICK on the various items, you can listen to what was said on the Alan Jones program on the lead-up to the Cronulla riots.

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1574350.htm



More Selections from 2GB on Cronulla
Want to hear more of what Alan Jones and his listeners were saying in the week leading up to the Cronulla riots?
Media Watch has selected these additional excerpts from the Alan Jones' program from the 5-9 December 2005. This is only some of the material AMCA should be considering as part of its formal investigation into Alan Jones's program, following 3 complaints about the material broadcast. On Tuesday 6 December 2005 at about 8.40am Alan read out some correspondence from a listener "Greg" who wants to share his views about middle eastern beach goers at Cronulla.— 2GB, Alan Jones, 6th December 2005 The next day, again around 8.40am, Alan read correspondence from a policeman who asks not to be named and describes his "big stick" strategy for dealing with middle eastern youth. — 2GB, Alan Jones, 7th December 2005 On Thursday, Alan takes an early call at around 6.10am from "Max" whose remarks about "middle eastern thugs" have Alan in stitches of laughter.— 2GB, Alan Jones, 8th December 2005 A short time later, just before 6.30am, "Berta" calls to try and lend some balance to the discussion about middle eastern gangs and Cronulla Beach but Alan Jones puts her right. — 2GB, Alan Jones, 8th December 2005 A few hours later, around 9.45am Thursday, "Charlie" calls Alan and they discuss the gathering being planned for Cronulla that coming Sunday. This gathering becomes the now infamous riot. — 2GB, Alan Jones, 8th December 2005 A longer version of Brian Wilshire and a caller discussing the middle eastern community.— 2GB, Brian Wilshire, 15th December 2005



Cronulla revisited a year after race riots
Reporter: Matt Peacock
HEATHER EWART: The shocking violence that erupted at Sydney's Cronulla beach a year ago seemed a distant memory on the weekend as the anniversary of the riot passed without incident. That was despite threats by white supremacists that a repeat demonstration would be held at the beach. Locals say that business in Cronulla has just begun to return to pre-riot levels, and that all anyone in the area wants is to put the events of last December behind them. Still, young men from both sides of the ethnic divide remain angry, despite attempts to soothe the animosity with cross cultural initiatives like the first intake of Lebanese lifesavers. Matt Peacock reports.
MATT PEACOCK: Cronulla beach one year on.
SURF LIFE SAVING INSTRUCTOR: OK, that was pretty ugly.
CLUB MEMBER: I'm not doing this again.
MECCA LAALAA: We've had nothing but positive feedback, not only from our families but from the people of Cronulla.
MALAAK MOURAD: Barriers have been broken and it's much easier for people to go about. But there'll always be that feeling, you know, uneasiness and tension between the two.
MATT PEACOCK: Young Lebanese Muslims learning to be lifesavers, a stark contrast to the violent scenes last December when a mob urged on by white supremacists went on the rampage, targeting anyone they even thought was Lebanese. And the next night came the reprisals. The attacks shocked the nation and the world. They also decimated the local economy. Restaurant owner and President of the Cronulla Chamber of Commerce, Ray Bradbury.
RAY BRADBURY, CRONULLA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: It had to happen and I think it was a good - well, it wasn't a good thing in the way it happened, but I think it gave a lot of people a significant shock and I think it made everyone step back and say, well, "Is this really how we are?" No, that's not how we are. Both sides have to change.
MATT PEACOCK: One group that has vowed to change is the Surf Lifesaving Association.
BRETT WILLIAMSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA: Our estimate is about 5% of our total membership come from the communities or people who have non English speaking parents or have come from overseas.
MATT PEACOCK: And that compares with what in the community?
BRETT WILLIAMSON: We understand that's about 25% in the community. So we're very committed to broadening our membership base.
MATT PEACOCK: It's a big gap, isn't it?
BRETT WILLIAMSON: It is, certainly is.MATT PEACOCK: Just recruiting this first batch of young Lebanese lifesavers was an uphill task, according to Lakemba Sports Club President Dr Jamal Rifi.
DR JAMAL RIFI, PRESIDENT, LAKEMBA SPORTS CLUB: We felt that the Surf Life Saving Australia is a closed shop, mainly for white Anglo Saxons, blonde haired, blue eyes. Once we took that step, we just found we were totally wrong. But at the same time we proved the other side they are totally wrong, because they felt that we are all hardliners.
MATT PEACOCK: But under the very obvious eye of the police force, how real was the public show of harmony at Cronulla this weekend? Out west at Lidcombe's ICRA Youth Centre, chairman Fadi Rahman believes little have changed.
FADI RAHMAN, ICRA YOUTH CENTRE: A year on, I believe that it hasn't got any better. Things have just been honey coated, if you want to put them that way. Yes, great for us to put a show on and say, yeah, we're bringing kids from Lakemba down to Cronulla and teach them how to save people. Bloody great, it should have been done way before the riots.
MATT PEACOCK: Young Lebanese men at this centre say they want to put last year behind them. But for 22 year old Wissam Amir the anger is still there just below the surface.
WISSAN AMIR: Why should somebody always get picked on? You know what I mean? I'm not saying we're getting picked on, but why should we take the s*** and not give it back to them, you know what I mean? LOCAL SURFER: That's one group coming down and picking on everybody.
MATT PEACOCK: This Cronulla surfer, who doesn't want his name used for fear of retaliation, is clear about who's picking on whom. To him, the riots were the result of years of provocation from Lebanese troublemakers.
SURFER: I think when something like this happens and you get picked on and picked on and picked on and it's from one type of community continually and I think they need to be more tolerant of the rest, of the whole of the Australian community.
MATT PEACOCK: Take away the heavy police and media presence, say Cronulla locals, and it could all happen again.
SURFER: There's a worry that it'll be forgotten about by police and the government that don't really want, don't seem to want to do anything about it anyway and I think it will be forgotten about and, you know, troublemakers will come back and it could erupt again.
MATT PEACOCK: Just what the NSW Government and police have learnt from last year remains in doubt. Two months ago, Carl Scully was sacked as Police Minister after misleading Parliament over a police report into the riots. The same report prompted Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Goodwin to take stress leave. But the document's yet to be released publicly, something that New York's criminal justice professor, Eli Silverman, finds concerning.
EMERITUS PROF ELI SILVERMAN, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: So far we've only been hit with fragments. I've spoken to some police people of fairly high level and they know what the commission's recommendations are to go forward, but they haven't really seen the full report. I find that very startling.
MATT PEACOCK: This weekend a few Muslim families have returned to their favourite picnic spots at Cronulla. For Wissam Amir, that's just how it should be.
WISSAM AMIR: We're not scared to go nowhere. We go wherever we want. Our people go wherever they want. We do whatever we want. We're not worried.
MATT PEACOCK: But for the 13 year old Lebanese Australian Roger Zraika, there'll be no more family days at the beach. His father doesn't want to risk it.
ROGER ZRAIKA: That was kind of a safe place for us to swim, and everything. But not any more.
MATT PEACOCK: And how would you feel if you went down to Cronulla now? You said you wouldn't feel the same?
ROGER ZRAIKA: No, I won't feel as comfortable as last time. You know, I'll be looking out and I won't stay there much.
MATT PEACOCK: Because you'd be on guard, you'd be looking around.
ROGER ZRAIKA: Yeah, just in case.
HEATHER EWART: Matt Peacock reporting there.



Cronulla racism still rampant, residents warn
PM - Tuesday, 11 December , 2007 18:39:00
Reporter: Michael Turtle
MARK COLVIN: On the second anniversary of the Cronulla riots in southern Sydney, some members of the community are warning that there could be more violence this summer.Consultations with young people in the area have found deep racist attitudes, which haven't changed since the trouble first broke out.Some services in the area claim the money that governments have invested to tackle the problems has been more about PR (public relations) than substance.Youth affairs reporter, Michael Turtle.
CROWD SHOUTING: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
MICHAEL TURTLE: Two years ago, Cronulla showed Australia how precarious the cultural balance in our society can be.
RIOTER: And it's about time that we stand up to this and we send them out of town. That's it!
MICHAEL TURTLE: Young, mainly white locals, who thought their territory was being overrun, clashed with members of Sydney's Middle Eastern community, who travelled to use the beach and surrounds.These days, the beach is quieter with no visual reminder of the violence and the anger. But locals say that beneath the surface the mistrust and prejudice remains.
STEPHANIE JANDL: It's just regards to clashes of cultures basically, and there's a lot more police around as well so that brings more tension as well for the young people.
MICHAEL TURTLE: Youth worker Stephanie Jandl has spoken with almost 100 young people in the area about their attitudes since the riots.She's found a mixed response, with some saying that things have improved.But 70 per cent said there was still conflict in Cronulla and many say that the use of the Australian flag has increased.
STEPHANIE JANDL: They were just mentioning that more people are proud of the Australian flag, the Aussie pride nationwide came up a fair bit and people are proud of their heritage and want to support it.
MICHAEL TURTLE: Do you think that if the attitudes haven't changed enough that there is the potential for more conflict over this coming summer?
STEPHANIE JANDL: I guess it would have to depend on what kids and what actually happens. I think most of the kids are aware of what's happened in the past and they understand you know how the trouble can be caused again.
MICHAEL TURTLE: The surf lifesaving clubs in Cronulla have been working hard to unite the community.The Federal Government put $900,000 towards a program to recruit young people from non-English speaking backgrounds.Chris Giles from Surf Lifesaving Australia says it's been a big success.
CHRIS GILES: What we have seen over the last 12 months is that we can play a role in bringing people together and getting people to talk and getting people to understand each other and provide some tolerance out there in the community
MICHAEL TURTLE: But some other community groups are worried that many of the initiatives are superficial and are more about PR, than addressing the real problems.Tony Ellitt, from Shire Wide Youth Services, says tackling deep-seated racism is a complex task, and needs a complex approach.
TONY ELLITT: I'm not sure whether the attempts by other stakeholders have been ones which have been evidence-based in order to bring about change within young people.
MICHAEL TURTLE: Mr Ellitt thinks it's not just about engaging the young people who were involved in the riots two years ago.
TONY ELLITT: The young people are a reflection of community attitudes. The young people in their sort of fairly extreme views and behaviour really act out what it is that they are observing in the adult community around them.
MICHAEL TURTLE: But Chris Giles from Surf Lifesaving Australia is standing by the organisation's program.He says things like the Burqini, the Muslim swimwear, do play a role in bridging a divided community.
CHRIS GILES: Whether they be superficial or not, I think what we were able to do was allow young people from non-English speaking backgrounds to experience surf lifesaving and to make a statement to say that everybody can have a go at this. It's not, surf lifesaving is not exclusive
MICHAEL TURTLE: In the coming months, there's no doubt these issues will arise again to some extent.As the summer begins to heat up, authorities will be keeping a close eye on the beaches to make sure the community isn't getting too hot under the collar.
MARK COLVIN: Michael Turtle.


Migrants fear for safety after Cronulla riots
PRIAM - Monday, 12 December , 2005 Reporter: Jennifer Macey

TONY EASTLEY: Lebanese Australians are worried that the strife at Cronulla could spill over and affect the wider migrant community.Father Geoffrey Abdallah from Redfern is the Director of the Maronite Lebanese Youth Organisation.He says many young people from ethnic backgrounds have lost a sense of belonging to Australia. He's speaking here to Jennifer Macey.
GEOFFREY ABDALLAH: It's not about Cronulla beach anymore. It's about Australia and being Australians. And yesterday it was very sad to see almost like a war zone of people fighting over territory, as if we're not one country, as if we're enemies trying to claim our territory. And that was a very sad day.
JENNIFER MACEY: There are accusations that gangs of Lebanese youth were going down to Cronulla and terrorising people. Do you see a problem there?GEOFFREY ABDALLAH: I think any gang, regardless of its ethnic background, is about a sense of belonging, because they don't feel they belong anywhere, so they need to claim some sort of power in their eyes.You have a minority group, a criminal element, and I choose that word because I am also a prison chaplain, you have a criminal element in a culture in a community and it's very unfair to label the whole community, and that's been the common thread over talkback radio, that suddenly all Lebanese are bad or all Asians are bad, or Aborigines are bad. Well, likewise we cannot say that all Anglos are bad.
JENNIFER MACEY: Were you concerned, or were you surprised that there were chants of 'kill the wog', 'kill the Lebs', 'go home Lebby scum'?GEOFFREY ABDALLAH: If that was turned around to be that a whole group of Lebanese or Middle Eastern people had gathered to defend one of their suburbs, or one of their beaches, and they displayed that behaviour, it would have been almost a terrorist threat, and get all these dangerous people out of this country. And that would have been the threat over talkback radio. If we look at talkback radio over what happened, and even the news - a group of Australians defend their beach. Now, the thing is, that behaviour was disgusting, regardless of the ethnic background. So we also need to be careful for young people that we don't use two different types of language. So if they're Anglo-Australians we use 'defend' their beach, and if they're Middle Eastern, we have 'terrorising' this country. We should all be here defending all the beaches of Australia.
TONY EASTLEY: Father Geoffrey Abdallah, the Director of the Maronite Lebanese Youth Organisation, speaking to Jennifer Macey.