Anti-Racism Rally Sunday 18th Dec 2005

[J Gonzales]

:eek:

[Hitman]

Anyone else attend this yesterday?
I was hoping for a bigger turn out, but still all good...

[Stasswardo]

no.

[mrkeys]

nope I got stuck doing work stuff.

How was it?

[Chantel]

About 1000 people are rallying at Sydney's Town Hall calling for peace and condemning race-fuelled violence sweeping the city.

About 2000 police officers are on duty at Sydney's eastern, southern and northern beaches to try and prevent a repeat of last Sunday's outbreak of race riots at Cronulla.

More than 900 protesters assembled outside the Town Hall to denounce racism and what they said was the media's role in provoking the riots.

They said they were also demonstrating against the governments' handling of the violence.





Unite Against Racism Rally organiser and National Union of Students (NUS) anti-racism officer, Osmond Chiu, 19, said was about uniting in opposition to a racist Australia.

"The riots have drawn attention to the racism in this country," Mr Chiu said.

"I am shocked and appalled by what's been happening, I never fathomed anything of this scale, that such violent racist clashes, could happen here."

Mr Chiu condemned some media and political leaders who he said may have fuelled the riots.

He was particularly critical of Macquarie Radio which he accused of "spreading word about the wave of text messages this week that urged further race-based attacks".

Mr Chiu also called on Prime Minister John Howard to admit the existence of racism in Australia.

"John Howard, the leader of our country, has denied that racism played a part in the week's violence," Mr Chiu said.

"He needs to admit that racism played a big part in what happened.

"Only when that happens can we go back to building a tolerant, accepting and diverse society."

Mr Chiu said the rally was about promoting an understanding and an all-embracing country.

"The rioters have been dividing people into 'Aussie', or 'Lebanese', but a lot of Lebanese are born in Australia and have just as much right to be here as anyone else," he said.

"We are all Australians and we should never forget that."

The demonstrators then marched to Belmore Park, in the CBD's south, for another rally.

[Hitman]

nope I got stuck doing work stuff.

How was it?

It was a nice afternoon...



My only critique is how some people use occasions such as this to preach their own political agendas, such as The Greens, Socialists, Anti War, Anti Government etc....instead of just focusing on the issue at hand.

My motivation for being there was not in any way political.
I was there solely due to my opposition towards racisim in any form...