· Report says local media worsened racial tensions
· 270,000 text messages coordinated showdown
Shock jocks blamed over Sydney riots
Quote:Running battles between white Australian gangs and Middle Eastern youths on a Sydney beach last year were fuelled by racial prejudice, alcohol, text messages and the inflammatory remarks of radio shock jocks, a police report has found.
[...]
The report, by a retired New South Wales assistant police commissioner, Norm Hazzard, also accuses the police of misjudging the racial tension that preceded the riots and of failing to have an adequate command structure in place to deal with the trouble. Risk assessment on the day was "inadequate and flawed" as junior officers risked their lives to protect bystanders and suppress the attacks, the inquiry found. The level of violence was "unprecedented in Australia", the report says.
In a reference to similar riots in France last year, it adds: "These riots carried with them a clear message to the Australian community that our multicultural society has now entered a phase of development similar to what has manifested itself overseas."
In addition to racial prejudice, the police investigation put much of the blame for the mob violence on drunkenness, text messaging and the local media, which had whipped up public sentiment. In the lead-up to the riot 270,000 text messages calling for a showdown on the beach were sent, urging young Australians to go "wog bashing". Others sent by Lebanese youths urged their fellow countrymen to "bring ur guns and knives and let's show them how we do it".
The report included an academic analysis of how some radio stations had covered the trouble, including Sydney's top rating 2GB. It noted that some presenters had referred to Middle Eastern men as "mongrels" who were "vicious and cowardly" and were said to "hunt in packs". The analysis, by Professor Catharine Lumby, claimed commentators had said police had "gone soft" on Middle Eastern gangs for fear of being seen as racists. She also found that talk show hosts had reinforced the perception that Anglo-Australians were under attack from Middle Eastern men.
[...]
Walter Hinteler wrote:· Report says local media worsened racial tensions
· 270,000 text messages coordinated showdown
Shock jocks blamed over Sydney riots
Quote:Running battles between white Australian gangs and Middle Eastern youths on a Sydney beach last year were fuelled by racial prejudice, alcohol, text messages and the inflammatory remarks of radio shock jocks, a police report has found.
[...]
The report, by a retired New South Wales assistant police commissioner, Norm Hazzard, also accuses the police of misjudging the racial tension that preceded the riots and of failing to have an adequate command structure in place to deal with the trouble. Risk assessment on the day was "inadequate and flawed" as junior officers risked their lives to protect bystanders and suppress the attacks, the inquiry found. The level of violence was "unprecedented in Australia", the report says.
In a reference to similar riots in France last year, it adds: "These riots carried with them a clear message to the Australian community that our multicultural society has now entered a phase of development similar to what has manifested itself overseas."
In addition to racial prejudice, the police investigation put much of the blame for the mob violence on drunkenness, text messaging and the local media, which had whipped up public sentiment. In the lead-up to the riot 270,000 text messages calling for a showdown on the beach were sent, urging young Australians to go "wog bashing". Others sent by Lebanese youths urged their fellow countrymen to "bring ur guns and knives and let's show them how we do it".
The report included an academic analysis of how some radio stations had covered the trouble, including Sydney's top rating 2GB. It noted that some presenters had referred to Middle Eastern men as "mongrels" who were "vicious and cowardly" and were said to "hunt in packs". The analysis, by Professor Catharine Lumby, claimed commentators had said police had "gone soft" on Middle Eastern gangs for fear of being seen as racists. She also found that talk show hosts had reinforced the perception that Anglo-Australians were under attack from Middle Eastern men.
[...]
Wouldn't be surprised...mind you, one has to wonder if these malevolent public menaces would have any effect on any but idiots already bound and determined to do bad stuff?
Never underestimate the power of the media...
I think this is a very sane idea, and should be reinforced in all countries where 'shock jocks' can be found...
And let me add though that I think it's naive to believe any such conflict has 'one single identifyable cause' as the title of this article seems to suggest. I think several instances failed in Sidney, and to lay the blame on the shock jocks alone.
Besides, and this had me wondering when I read about this at the time as well, exactly WHY were those two life guards beaten up?
I think the shock jocks exploited an underlying problem that was already there: Who owns this beach? Whose territory is it? Gang territorial stuff. Stupid, but as simple as that ....
We've had the same exact problem at our beaches. It seems like this kind of thing happens at beaches around the world. (only not as bad)
