No, in Australia we don't behead people for making fun of religions (remember "Life of Brian?"). No, we don't think one exclusive group has their dead in paradise whilst others are in hell (as proclaimed by placards yesterday). No, we don't agree that becoming violent in a demonstration is acceptable. Yes, an image of a toddler carrying a sign encouraging beheading is tantamount to child abuse.This is Australia, not the Middle East. One thing that they may learn over the coming weeks, is that here we punish people who behave as they did yesterday, and there's plenty of photos and video to look at.
Protest all you want, for whatever cause you want, but FFS don't behave like the sad pathetic morons that were on display yesterday. I'm beginning to wonder if Neanderthals are extinct after all.
Here Australians have freedom of speech. If that includes a scientific assessment of religion generally (ie. there's no magic man in the sky, Jesus didn't exist, Mohammed just another religious concoction) then I am free to say it. My father fought in WW2 so that I could have this freedom, and I'm fucked if I'm going to give it up for a bunch of Neanderthals too stupid to know where the fuck they are. Just a reminder.... it's Australia. Get it?
One of the comments from a protester:
Several speakers condemned the US and critics of Islam. Abdullah Sary said "the anger comes from the fact if you attack the prophet you are attacking our way of life".Well WTF do you call what you were doing yesterday? The behaviour, attitude, thuggery, and in-accepting of our way of life, was an attack on our way of life. Is being a narrow minded hypocrite all part of Muslim extremism?
Link
How about if you feel that strongly about it, you take up your battles where they're actually being fought? Wherever that is; personally this whole thing seems a beat up. But it's not being fought in peace-loving Australia. Nobody here cares about some stupid movie that looks like it was put together by a 10 year old. To behave like yesterday over said movie, to people who had absolutely nothing to do with the movie, is obscene.
Lastly, Peter FitzSimons has written an open letter in the SMH. He's right on the money. I encourage anyone with a brain to read it. Some:
HAVE we Sydney-siders got this straight?And some pics off the net, from the Sydney Morning Herald. The child ones are IMO appalling. There's a couple of the more bizarre pics; one being shoppers above in a walkway looking at the unfolding drama, and another of them all praying in the middle of the violence.... Oh the hypocrisy!
Because on the other side of the Pacific, somewhere in California, some loser has thrown together some kind of amateur internet video insulting your particular god, you think it justifiable to:
Take over the Sydney CBD.
Cause willful damage to property.
Throw rocks at police officers who are doing nothing more than their duty.
Hold up such ludicrous signs as “Behead all those who insult the prophet.”
We have to ask: Do you have the first clue as to the ramifications of your actions? Do you not understand that the net result of such irresponsible, appalling action is to give ample fuel to every racist in the country to reinforce every bad stereotype they have ever had of you, and that will affect badly the hundreds of thousands of other peaceful and law-abiding Islamic Australians?
In short, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!
Read the rest
The trailer:
*Update:
Barry O'Farrell is making the same sort of noises as I have above, saying yesterday does "attack......our multiculturalism":
‘‘Episodes like yesterday really do attack what is one of the great foundations of our success which is our multiculturalism,’’ Mr O’Farrell said.
Read more
*Update2:
Prime minister Gillard.
‘‘I absolutely condemn the violence that we saw yesterday,’’ Ms Gillard told reporters in Brisbane where she addressed the Queensland ALP state conference.*Update3:
She said the anti-Islam film, which was made in the US, was ‘‘truly repulsive’’ but ‘‘there is never any excuse for violent behaviour’’.
‘‘To anybody who wants to replicate that behaviour today, I just want to say very strongly that this kind of conduct has no place on the streets of our country,’’ the prime minister said.
Footage of the clashes showed a young child carrying a placard calling for people to be beheaded. ‘‘I do not want to see in the hands of anyone, particular children, offensive signs that call for the killing of others,’’ Ms Gillard said.
‘‘This is not the Australian way.’’
Link
I'm no fan of the police commissioner, but it appears there will be more arrests. Start praying guys. Won't save you from court though.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione was shocked by the violence of the protest, where officers were reportedly targeted with glass bottles.
"Some of the behaviour, it has absolutely floored me. To see a young child with a placard thrust in his hand, calling for the beheading of a person is simply something I cannot comprehend," he said, referring to a photograph of a taken during the riots of a small boy holding a sign that read: “Behead all those who insult the prophet”.
"It’s not what we teach our children. I was particularly affronted by that scene."
Strike force McAlister has been set up to deal with the violent protesters and police are looking at surveillance and media footage of the day to identify those who sparked the violence.
"You can be assured, we are waiting. We will deal with you. This is a no-nonsense engagement. If you want to act like you are extremist criminals, we will treat you like you are extremist criminals," Commissioner Scipione said.
"This is not Libya. This is not the country where you came to do what we saw yesterday."
Link
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment