September 12 : ‘Bigots hurting Victoria’
Yeah…
So, a few more Indian students have been beaten in Melbourne, in what appears to have been a racially-motivated attack (Indians gang-bashed in latest racist attack, Sarah-Jane Collins and Mex Cooper, The Age, September 16, 2009).
Pffft: so what else is news?
- Nationalist Alternative : “just a bunch of students from Melbourne” (July 8, 2009) | (Australia is racist / Australia is not racist. (June 28, 2009) | F*** Off, We’re Full (Of Shit) : Part the 2nd : Timmy! (June 10, 2009) | Australia, India, racism, students (June 2, 2009) | Herr Reverend in the news.com.au (June 5, 2009) | FISA CALLS FOR A PEACE RALLY (May 30, 2009) | Careful, They Might Hear You (February 19, 2009) | “Fuck off we’re full.” (Of shit.) (January 28, 2009) | Go go Melbourne taxi drivers! (May 2, 2008) | Indians. They’re comin’ right for us! (July 26, 2007) | A lesson in economics (July 16, 2007) | Fair dinkum Aussie values (September 21, 2006).
Obviously, this latest incident is bad — not least for the four victims — but worse, as far as Victorian Government and business is concerned, is the effect such incidents are having on the local education industry. Or, to be precise, the attention being given to such incidents by Indian media.
Protecting the Brand
In essence, bad PR is bad for business and, as a rule, whenever profit-making (‘business’) is endangered, Government acts. (The overseas student industry — Australia’s third largest ‘export’ — is worth $15.5 billion per annum.) Thus John Brumby, the Victorian Premier, is off to India next week in order to salvage the Victorian — and Melbourne — ‘brand’: ‘”Some of the events of the past few months have damaged our brand and the Australian brand in India and I can only repeat that overall we remain one of the safest places in the world,” he said.’ Which, in fairness to Brumby, is probably correct, especially if, like him, you’re a VIP (and a former Melbourne Grammar boy).
Others, of course, are less fortunate. Unlike Brumby, they use public transport, work low-paid jobs, live in over-priced and sub-standard accommodation, and pay through the nose for the privilege. Thus the negative PR associated with racial assaults is further compounded by the provision of sub-standard education, housing and employment, in a market subject to very little effective government regulation — deliberately so, and in accordance with the neo-liberal ideology which has dominated Australian policy-making for the last few decades.
Neo-liberalism
The corrosive effects of ‘neo-liberalism’ upon the Australian body politic are felt not just by foreign students, of course, but by the Australian people as a whole. The ‘crisis’ which this system inevitably and, as predicted, produced has triggered alarm bells for ruling elites, one recent expression of which was Australian Prime Minister KRudd’s essay in The Monthly (The Global Financial Crisis, February 2009):
Social-democratic governments across the world must rise to the further challenge of developing a practical policy response to the crisis that rebuilds shattered economic growth, while also devising a new regulatory regime for the financial markets of the future. This is our immediate challenge. But if we fail, there is a grave danger that new political voices of the extreme Left and the nationalist Right will begin to achieve a legitimacy hitherto denied them. Again, history is replete with the most disturbing of precedents.
Arf arf.
“Maybe a gun to their head might help them get the hint that they are not wanted here!”
Or so wrote Terrie-Anne Verney, a former DJ at a community radio station, on Facebook (she also speculated, in reference to Indian students, that the “shit around their head must do something to their brain”). For those who are interested, Terrie-Anne will be speaking at the Sydney Forum — an annual fascist gathering in Sydney, sponsored by the Australia First Party — on the weekend of September 26/27. In previous years (the Forum was launched in 2001), the Returned Services League of NSW has provided the fascists with a venue; the Master of Race Ceremonies is, as always, and perhaps for the next 1,000 years, the German-born neo-Nazi and ex-NPD member Welf Herfurth (a Holocaust denialist). (See : 2009 Sydney Forum (Again), September 11, 2009.)
September 12 : ‘Neo-Nazi skinheads party in Melbourne’
Oddly enough, these latest attacks took place on the same day neo-Nazi skinheads from around Australia gathered in Melbourne to goose-step and jack-boot around to the racist toons sung by several neo-Nazi bands. In attendance was Stormfront Down Under moderator Paul Innes (a plasterer from Perth, WA), while the principal organisers are Jesse !@#$%^ and Justin ^%$#@! (locals from Melbourne). The gig was apparently a roaring success, if they don’t say so themselves:
AustralianMade
Join Date: Dec 2005Yeah, awesome gig. The whole thing went off without a single hitch.
Great venue, the bands were tight as f*** and the numbers were up from last year. That was due to all the new faces and the renewed support from a lot of the older folk. It was great to see people who’d traveled all the way over from Germany for this one.
The next ISD is promising to be even better but in the meantime we’ll be seeing a lot of you again at the Hammered gig on the Goldie in April, I can’t wait!
It’s a triumph of the will baby!
We are the vanguard, the blood and the honour, the troopers of freedom and light
Government pressure, the scum on the streets, the communist media we fight
Remember places, traitors’ faces, they’ll all pay for their crimes
All of their lies, will some day die, well I told you six million times
Bonus!
Another treat from Jesse & JewTube YouTube:
Indians gang-bashed in latest racist attack
Sarah-Jane Collins and Mex Cooper
The Age
September 16, 2009Victorian Premier John Brumby says a spate of racist attacks has damaged Victoria and Australia’s image in India.
Four men were beaten outside a bar in Melbourne’s north-east on Saturday in the latest racist attack in the city, which has sparked outrage in India.
The victims were playing pool in a bar in Epping about 11pm when a woman celebrating with a large group of people began to make racial slurs.
The men then left the High Street bar and were followed to the car park by up to four men, who beat them in front of a large group of people.
Mr Brumby, who heads to India next week, said the recent spate of racist attacks had damaged Victoria and Australia’s image.
“Some of the events of the past few months have damaged our brand and the Australian brand in India and I can only repeat that overall we remain one of the safest places in the world,” he said.
The Times of India has reported that up to 70 people were involved in Saturday’s serious assault on Sukhdip Singh, his brother Gurdeep Singh and uncle Mukhtair Singh.
A relative told the newspaper that the group had yelled at the victims to “go back to their country”.
“They were quietly playing (pool) and were trying to avoid trouble even after these locals were trying to provoke them by passing comments,” the relative said.
“When they reached the car park to leave the place, a huge crowd attacked them and started bashing. The attackers were in their teens and around 20s.”
Four men were arrested and interviewed but have been released pending further investigations.
Acting Senior Sergeant Glenn Parker told ABC Radio that four men had been involved in the actual assault and a group of up to 20 had been bystanders.
He denied the Indian media reports that 70 people had been involved.
But one of the alleged victims told the ABC that more than 70 people could have been involved.
“It could be 70, it could be more than 70,” he said.
“They were coming from all sides. The carpark was crowded.”
He said the attackers didn’t use weapons, but racism was behind the incident.
“Definitely racism,” he said.
“We went outside, the crowd was there. They said: ‘You Indians, just go back to your country’. Even the ladies, the whole crowd came outside.”
The victim said he had lived in Australia for 22 years and hadn’t experienced any problems on earlier visits to the bar.
Police issued a statement about the assault this morning following widespread coverage of the attack by Indian media.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police had witnessed about 15 men and women making racist comments and one woman throwing water over a bystander during the heated incident.
She said the group continued to sling racist abuse and threats at the victims as police took them away from the scene.
The incident has made headlines in India and is fuelling Melbourne’s reputation as a hotspot for racist crime ahead of Premier John Brumby’s visit to the country next week.
Mr Brumby said today he would not comment on the case but that any violence, racially motivated or not, was unacceptable.
“If you look at Victoria as a whole we remain the safest state in Australia in terms of our crime rate,” he said.
“Any violence which does occur and any violence which is racially motivated is completely unacceptable … and I’ll keep repeating this message as long as I have to to get the message out there.”
The premier said he would meet with key Indian officials to discuss the issue and also with students to encourage them to continue to come to Victoria and study.
See also : Australia: Attacks on Indian Students Raise Racism Cries, Sharon Verghis, Time, September 10, 2009 | Victorian police face pressure over Indian assault, Chip Legrand and Andrew Trounson, The Australian, September 16, 2009 | Australian police deny cover up over attack on Indian men, ABC Radio Australia, September 16, 2009.
I just posted something about the attack on the Indian guys. It’s interesting to see some of the views about this around the internets.
On the 3AW website, one person used the comment thread about the incident to launch into a rant about Muslims. I don’t see the connection – oh wait, Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, all the same, innit? That must be the connection.
Another really common theme is the idea of Indians being whingers. As in, “you don’t like it? Go back where you came from.” As in, getting your head-kicked in is part of the Aussie way of life. I mean, whinging people can be annoying, but getting beaten into a coma is probably worse. Of course, I’m actually glad the Indians have “whinged” about this because it means the police and government are stepping up their efforts to keep train stations safer.
Btw @ndy, just curious, was it intentional to make the subheading of your blog sound like a song by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney?
Dear Mister Sensation,
Yes: but only when people sit side-by-side on their pianos. (Actually, the name of my blog and its subtitle were a mate’s suggestion.) The views on the tubes, with some exceptions, are generally appalling. This is often the case when patriots believe their country to be subject to unfair criticism — which, for some, is all the time. I don’t see much point engaging with it directly, especially when it’s obvious that the individuals concerned, mostly young blokes, merely wish the opportunity to vent, and are full of resentments, of one sort or another, for which the ‘issue’ — whatever it is — merely provides a pretext for expression. With regards ‘whinging’, yeah: some folx don’t like it when others get uppity. But in my opinion, the actions of Indian students in this instance provide a case study in how to exert political pressure: kick up a fuss. Indeed, the actions of Indian students make the flabby Australian student movement-which-isn’t look like the dinosaur it is.
Later h8r.
I wonder if the “whinging” thing relates to the Aussie idea of being a real man – don’t complain about it, just deal with it with stoicism, or otherwise get even. That sort of high-school notion that if someone hits you, don’t cry to the teacher about it – hit them back. Of course, that is completely at odds with what our legal system advocates. I guess we should be thankful that Indians for the most part haven’t engaged in retaliation. Given that the Indian student population are highly aspirational and have a lot to lose, they are choosing legal means of dealing with the problem. But if the government doesn’t produce results here, Indians may again consider vigilantism as we saw at Harris Park and St Albans.
Maybe. But I suspect that for many who whinge about Indians whinging, the students’ status as “real men” or “real Aussies” is already seriously compromised by their being Indian. I also doubt that, if ‘whinging’ is seriously condemned, that the same people would welcome Indian students seeking other, more direct means to redress their grievances. I also suspect that the underlying sentiment, for many if not most of those who whinge about Indians whinging, is based on an underlying principle: “fuck off, we’re full”. As for retaliation, the obvious problem is: to whom would they retaliate against? Those responsible for the assaults seem, for the most part, to be yoof looking to make an easy score. I dunno about Harris Park, but when you refer to St Albans, what it brings to mind is attempts by Indian students to form larger collectives to try and bring about a greater degree of security — especially when travelling by public transport. Assuming that to be the case, it would seem sensible — at least in the sense that victims of assault tend to be travelling alone.
Oh of course, it’s a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t sort of thing. The same people who “whinge” about Indians “whinging” and wish they would “harden up”, would be the first to complain about “ethnics” causing crime if the Indians fought back.
Regarding St Albans, although the attempt by Indians to band together to keep the peace was a good thing in many ways, such vigilante-style groups always have a downside. Reports indicated that one of the Indians may have stabbed someone who provoked them. I’m not 100% clear on this, but that’s what I read. And that shit is like manna to the conservatives who are always looking for reasons why non-white people are bad.
Harris Park was similar, Indians taking to the street to vent their feelings and show solidarity, but it also resulted in some apparently unprovoked attacks on local Lebanese youths. This is what happens when the State doesn’t do its job.
I want you skin heads to leave teenagers alone, I have a mixed up seventeen year old who has got in with a bunch of no good skin heads who are taking him to rallys, concerts and all this is going to do is get him in more trouble. If you look at your back grounds im sure you will find you have a nigger in the wood pile so to speak. I have quite a mix from Chinese to African American and it is not that far back my great grands where full blood and im as white as anyone of you idiots and so is my son this is why you have chosen him.
Grow up an smell the roses by hurting inocent people you will not get any were all you will get is hated in return if you want to make a difference get educated get on the council’s some government institutions make it hard for more of the different races to get in here. This is what the muslims are doing, this is how they get new mosques and schools ect, they have separate swimming times for there women at local swim centres, this is because they are getting into the local councils next will be the national Govenment.
Try to get the burka band stop imigration being so easy most Aussie no mater what there back ground will get behind you this way but not with violence and shaved heads and nazzi rubbish my father fought a war to stamp out nazzi’s.
Grow up skin heads.