Riot Akt - Race Motivated Riots

The stuff that went down at Maroubra and Cronulla on the weekend is just plain disgraceful. I never thought Australian society would go downhill like that. People just acting like savages and animals. I've always said that Australia is a multicultural society and a very tolerant one. But after this weekend, I might be reassessing my opinion.

Fueled by hate, alchohol, heat it just got real ugly. What's the point of beating up random Lebanese people with a mob of 5000 people?

I must admit though, there is a minority of Lebanese people that do cause a lot of trouble and make the rest of them look very bad. I work with and am really good friends with lots of Lebanese people. There's a huge population where I'm from and I've grown up with them. They are good hardworking people.

The problem is with some of them when they are in those massive groups. I've been chased/almost robbed by gang of Lebanese people. My brother was robbed at knifepoint on the way home by a Lebanese person. I've seen a pretty Australian girl get hassled by a gang of 6 Lebanese men and having to deal with sexual taunts on a trainride. And this was at 3pm, in a train full of people, at the time that those rapings were going on.

By the same token, I've also experienced racism first hand from Australians. When I was 15 or so, I was walking along Beamish street in Campsie with my cousins and aunty. We walked past this pub and this drunk Aussie came out. He spat on my cousin. Reloaded, and spat on my other cousin. Then spat on me. And the worst part, he spat on my Aunty. I was so mad that someone could make me feel like I didn't belong, like I was some second class citizen. If I wasn't so young and my aunty wasn't there, I'm sure my cousins and I would have beat the **** out of him.

But if I look at the larger picture though, I've had many more good experiences with Australians and Lebanese people. I'm not going to let a few very bad experiences and a bunch of idiots ruin my opinion.

I still remember having a heated arguement on a train ride with a dark Fijian man. He was telling these American tourists that Australia was a racist society. I was minding my own business but I couldn't put up with his biased crap. So I stuck up for all y'all - the Lebs, the Aussies, the Aboriginals, the Greeks, the Asians, you name it. But I can see where he is coming from. I believe he was talking about his experiences where he faced a lot of racism in the 70's and 80's in Australia. As he left the train, I told the Americans that Australia was not like he made it. What they told me I will never forget: "He's got a lil' bit more colour than you".

Something tells me that this mob violence won't die down soon. At time of writing, I just saw on the news of more riots at Lakemba Mosque and at Brighton-Le-Sands.

For once, saying "Peace" never had so much meaning.

Peace Out,

DJ Ho.

p.s. For some laughter check out George Bush.