Hope to see you there!
I'll be the one pushing the double pram, waving Aussie, Croatian and Palestinian flags while bribing Tara with chocolate so she'll stay put.
The Unite Against Racism Rally
WHEN: Sunday 18th December 2005
TIME: 1pm
WHERE: Town Hall Square
The rally will make it's way to Belmore Park where there will be a number of speakers, celebrities and sports people from varied cultural and religious groups.
For more info, visit
2 comments:
I couldn’t agree more about the recent Sydney race issues and really enjoyed reading your thoughts. It is a very emotional issue... It is a very confusing issue for many people. I am an Aussie, my Mum is Czech and both Dads are many generations Australian. I love the casual Australian way of life, have a few great ethnic friends from all over and intend to marry a Persian Iranian girlfriend. I embrace multiculturalism yet I sometimes feel anger when I see how some “wogs” behave when I am out. (Generalising about wogs of course). I am equally as ashamed and angered by the red-neck Aussie surfers behaviour and don’t pretend to hide that racist attitudes don’t exist in Australia.
It’s quite scary to think that I grew up on the beach, yet I have dark hair and could be threatened at a beach or elsewhere. I have been labelled a “wog” before and I know my girlfriend and her family (the greatest, warmest and non-practicing Muslim family) have often been subjected to comments and abuse before. My girlfriend's dad is a very educated man with numerous degrees from Iran. He has travelled the world and was quite successful in Iran. He moved his family from Iran to flee the constant warfare, yet he is a factory worker in Australia. He is depressed, yet he moved here to give his children greater opportunities. I know this is a familiar story for many ethnics living here... It’s sad, and I don’t know where it is heading. I feel a bit torn because many of my friends attitudes are different from mine. (They are sick of the “lebs” causing trouble). I think we all are, but the scary thing is how they begin to label any arab-ethnic looking person into this category. It’s hard talking to my family or friends on this issue as they all fire up pretty easily.
I too am disgusted at what is happening. I think there is fault on
both sides and you are right. It is how people are brought up IN THE
HOME in the first place which dictates how they will behave in public.
I too am an Australian born Croatian but I can honestly say that I have
never been the butt of racist jibes. Perhaps because I do not look
like a Croatian but rather like a Dutch lady. Maybe the Aussies like the Dutch, I don't know.
If I can spare some time on Sunday, I will try to be there. Hope there
will be no violence, which I abhor. I despair at the violence in the
Middle East which is shown to us almost on a daily basis. A bright
light on the horizon is the free and I hope fair elections in Iraq. I
pray that democracy - true democracy - prevails there and that one day the whole Middle East will live as we do in this beautiful country - Australia - which is here to be enjoyed by all people of good will and respect for others.
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