Case A: thugs attack en masse at a beach in Portugal. The race of the attackers was not mentioned by the BBC, although the prim way that the story says that the municipal authorities believed that
“the youngsters came from poorer suburbs of the capital”
made me guess that they were not white before Tim Worstall, who lives in Portugal, confirmed it. The fact that they were black was the aspect of the story everyone in Portugal, where race relations are generally good, was talking about. In failing to report it the BBC were failing to tell the story properly.
Case B: thugs attack en masse at a beach in Sydney. In the BBC story the race of attackers and victims appears in the very first line:
“Thousands of young white men have converged on Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia, and attacked people of Arabic and Mediterranean background.”
Why does this difference in reporting matter? If, as I maintain, race should make no difference to our condemnation of criminal violence, why is is it a big deal that the BBC mentions race in one case and not in another?
Because – and I make no apologies for repeating my line from the coverage of the Lozells riots – one of the major spurs to mob violence is rumour. And rumour flourishes where people believe that they are not being told the whole truth. In cases of racially charged violence people are correct to believe that the British Broadcasting Corporation and culturally similar organisations like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation are often not telling the whole truth.
While flicking through various websites a few days ago I came across this post from Romeo Mike, an Australian blogger. Having seen it, the riots were not such a surprise to me. The author describes the incident that was the flashpoint for the riots: the beating up of two white lifeguards by immigrants of Lebanese origin. He quotes the Australian Daily Telegraph.
The Telegraph article says:
Surf Lifesaving Sydney rescue services manager Stephen Leahy said it was common for Middle Eastern men from western Sydney to taunt Cronulla surf lifesavers by stealing their equipment, making idle threats and kicking balls at them.
Some regular Cronulla beachgoers said that the behaviour of Middle Eastern groups was so offensive, they opted to travel to other beaches instead.
The BBC report linked to earlier did allude to this history. I shouldn’t laugh at such a time, but I couldn’t help being amused to see the BBC’s latest “youngsters from poorer suburbs” euphemism for “non-white thugs” popping up again:
“[Cronulla beach] is often visited by young people from the poorer suburbs of western and southern Sydney.
Area residents accuse the visitors of being disrespectful and of sometimes intimidating other beach-goers. ”
In the days following the attack on the lifeguards, white thugs, fully as vicious as their Lebanese-origin equivalents, passed around inflammatory text messages and emails and set a time and place to take revenge on any Arabic-looking person unfortunate enough to stray into their path. It is a grim fact that the blogosphere motto popularised by Instapundit, “A pack, not a herd” can apply to the bad as well as to the good.
I think it is significant that Romeo Mike, writing on December 6 before these riots happened, says that with the exception of the Australian Telegraph, the Australian media had either been silent about the simmering problems or had downplayed the race angle. The ABC had not mentioned the beating of the lifeguards at all.
The Australian and British Broadcasting Corporations have much in common. Both need to become aware that the small risk to public order involved in reporting the races involved in racially charged crimes in all cases, not just those conforming to their worldview, is much outweighed by the large risk to public order involved in allowing a news vacuum to form around sensitive incidents. Into that vacuum rumour and paranoia will inevitably flow.
Most race riots have an alleged inter-racial attack as the flashpoint. Where the allegation is untrue – for instance the alleged multiple rape that started the Birmingham riots, for which no evidence has ever been found – then it is the duty of the media to quell the rumours. It can only do this effectively if it is trusted and it can only be trusted if it has built up a record of trustworthy behaviour. Where the allegation is true then it is the duty of the media to calm the situation by making it clear that the police are making every effort to bring the criminals to justice. If the media don’t do this then lawless elements will fill the gap themselves, with their sort of “reports” and their sort of “justice.”
(Tim Blair has more on the Sydney violence.)
UPDATE: I see these riots have already been discussed extensively in the comments to the previous post. Commenter Susan pointed out that in this story, “Second night of riots hits Sydney”, the BBC reporting has the same imbalance as before. It seems that, in revenge for the events in Cronulla on Sunday, people of Lebanese origin have gone into that and neighbouring suburbs and thrown bricks. The BBC does not report the race of the perpetrators. However, in the same story, it does manage to remind us, twice, that “thousands of young white men” were behind Sunday’s riots. Susan writes, “Notice how MinTruth doesn’t give any racial or ethnic identifier for the thugs currently destroying cars and throwing bricks in Mabroubra and Brighton-le-Sands (Sydney suburbs). That’s your infaliable Orwellian clue to the actual ethnic identity of the thugs.”
ANOTHER UPDATE: In deference to the good point made by commenter PJF, I should amend the above to say that it is the duty of the media to report that the police are making every effort to bring the criminals to justice so long as the police are, in fact, making every effort. PC though the PCs are these days, I think they generally do make strenuous efforts when it comes to serious crimes. The point I was trying to make was that media silence is dangerous.
FINAL UPDATE: The “Second night of riots” story has since been stealth edited to include a paragraph saying “Some of the violence appeared to have been carried out by youths of Middle Eastern appearance, raising speculation it was a retaliation for Sunday’s unrest.” There have been similar interpolations in other BBC stories about the riots, as Toby points out in his post of 15 December. These changes are a good thing, but they should be done openly. Perhaps the BBC was influenced by blogs, or by the fact that Tim O’Neill’s comment on this forum (“surely the BBC should be actually reporting what is happening, not picking and choosing”) was recommended by so many people.
Sydney riots: the IBC does it again:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4525352.stm
Also on Sunday, a Caucasian man was stabbed after an altercation outside a golf club with “a group of males of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean appearance”, according to police reports. Fifty car-loads of youths later smashed 100 vehicles with baseball bats and other weapons. Police received reports of firearms being “flashed” but not discharged.
From reading the Ozzie press, all of these incidents mentioned above were perpetrated by the “males of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean appearance.” The IBC fudges it and makes it look like the violence was done by the whites. The Caucasian man “was stabbed” while in the presence of the ME/MAs — one wonders how that happened. Perhaps he stabbed himself.
Very poor reporting by the IBC — it’s nothing but propaganda and spin. It’s as if they think no one has any access to the Ozzie media or Ozzie blogs that can clue us in to their b.s. and spin.
From the same story above, yet more fudging and deliberate avoidance of the truth:
“Car-loads of people were stopped and searched, there was violence at a mosque in the western suburb of Lakemba, assaults were carried out and a group of men armed with iron bars and guns were dispersed by police outside a convenience store in Cronulla.
“There was violence at a mosque.” It just appeared out of nowhere. Must have been aliens.
“Assaults were carried out.” Most have been the aliens again.
As anyone knows, the first rules of journalism are supplying the who, what, where, when and how of a given news item to the reader. The IBC fails this elementary test of journalism miserably, especially in the “who” portion of the requirement.
Rottweiler Puppy ably fisks the BBC’s coverage of the riots here.
Boy Blue, the muslim beach comment is interesting. Where did you hear that?
Interesting comment about drunken Cold Chisel listeners being the last line of defence against violent Arabs.
This 17-year veteran Aussie policeman says he doesn’t like confronting ethnic thugs because he ends up being targeted not only by the thugs but by his own command structure, if any of them complain.
He concludes: “I totally understand why young men feel they have to take the law into their own hands. I don’t trust, and have very little loyalty in, the police service and the court system.”
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,17560765-5001030,00.html
Jeremy Vine on BBC radio 2 had a discussion on the riot situation. The discussion was fairly even handed until John Pilger, darling of the Left, (Australian) appeared as a guest toward the end of the programme. According to him, surprise, surprise, it was caused by indigenous Australian racism, made worse by, you guessed it, by the Government – nothing to do with culture. We were told that Australia used to be the most integrated multi-culty country in the world (Mr Howard as a lot to answer it seems). Aboriginal genocide got a mention. The steps taken to help Aborigines with welfare, health, education and to preserve their culture never got a mention. Pilger quoted Margaret Thatcher (boo!) using the words “being swamped”, but forgot to mention that those words were also used by David Blunket – if my memory isn’t failing me (it must have been just before the last election). The final text message was from someone who was insulted continuosly for being British whilst in Oz – he probably deserved it. I have visted Oz practically every year since 1996 and have been impressed by the friendly, helpful Aussies and its cosmopolitan population. It could be that there are some that consider themselves above the law. Thugery from any direction does not help, but it could be, as Trevor Phillips has told us, multi- culturalism does not work so let us not keep calling its failure: “racism”.
Shots fired at Roman Catholic church in Oz, while children were practicing Christmas carols:
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/story.asp?id=83023
IBC coverage? Where?
Notice that camera crews are only able to circulate amongst the “white Aussie racists” who do not smash their cameras and beat them up.
but when it comes to Lakemba they keep away fof their own safety.
Its a bit like Ramallah (toe the propaganda line or go back to israel.
As a result only pictures of the white yobs are broadcast and the BBC clones at the ABC can let loose with media spin can let loose on the “disadvantaged youths of middle eastern appearance”.
The on site camera crews well know the score but of course are not the ones regurgitating the news commentary.
First Church burnt
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17564679-37435,00.html
Aliens again.
A holy war on Australia
By LUKE McILVEEN and ELISSA HUNT
November 09, 2005
dailytelegraph.news.com.au/ story/0,20281,17184271-5001021,00.html
SEVENTEEN suspected terrorists rounded up in raids across Sydney and Melbourne allegedly planned to wage a holy war against Australia using hundreds of litres of explosive chemicals.
Police raids continued with police and bomb squad officers raiding a home in Glenview Ave, Panania, and
Sydney’s southwest. Raids took place in Lakemba, Belmore, Wiley Park, Greenacre, Illawong, Punchbowl, Hoxton Park, Condell Park, Ingleburn, Belfield, Bankstown and Kemps Creek.
Riot police were on standby in Sydney’s west last night amid fears of a backlash from angry Muslims.
Angry about what, the Police doing their job?
Sydney nuclear reactor may have been terrorist target
The Associated Press
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2005
SYDNEY, Australia Police believe a nuclear reactor in southern Sydney was a possible target of a Sydney-based Islamic terror cell, according to details of Australia’s biggest-ever counter terror investigation released Monday.
I do wish Sydney Police would stop upsetting people of middle eastern appearance.
When the over tolerent British public finally take to the streets to express there dissatisfaction with there situation, we can see how this will be reported by the BBC. So my advice would be dont bother its to late, Britains not worth it and protesting to close to parliment is now illegal. Just try to find a less confused part of the world to live in and screw up there country. We are British its all we are good at now. According to the BBC it is all we were ever good at. Depressed? you should be.
‘World Have Your Say’ on The World Service was nicely set up this evening to take a comfy, superficial look at the Sydney riots, what with a PC journalist, Emma, from The Australian and an artistically arranged assortment of e-mailers and callers including one who rambled on without saying anything and who seemed to be on air simply because she was a mixed-race Australian and another who sounded white but was distressed by the attack on people of Middle-Eastern appearance. An e-mail was read out which claimed that the Sydney rioters were racists but the French rioters weren’t because, “They attacked cars.”
But I’m sure the BBC thought the star of the show would be Yusuf, a Lebanese caller who had lived in Australia for many years. What a disappointment he turned out to be. He made the startling observation that the Lebanese community regard themselves as superior to other Australians and are racist towards them. And it went downhill from there with his remark that the Lebanese who have successfully integrated into Australian society are Christians and that everyone is ignoring the Lebanese Muslim elephant in the room, which elephant was responsible for the bad behaviour which led to the riots. To which Emma replied that the Christians were earlier immigrants and that the Muslims should be given a chance and that one group should not be singled out.
Pity that they had to end the discussion there and move on. Yusuf was just getting warmed up. But it was good to see the BBC’s neat little arrangement fall apart.
Bryan:
I would have paid your license fee for you to hear that one!
Also, BTW, two people were killed during the French riots, and one person killed just before the riots started up. All of them were white Christian Frenchmen beaten to death by “youths of North African appearance”.
Facts are such inconvenient things, when you are the IBC!
Bin Laden’s ‘man in Sweden’ arrested in Prague
12-13-2005, 11h13
STOCKHOLM (AFP)
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. A 39-year-old Swede accused by the United States of being Bin Laden’s “man in Sweden” has been arrested in Prague.
(AFP/File)
A 39-year-old Swede accused of terrorism by the United States has been arrested in Prague.
Oh No, now the Czech Police are upsetting people of middle eastern appearance. You can hear this story on Radio Prague but not on the BBC.
Not to mention the 13 churches that were torched, as reported by several French blogs which published photographs of the destruction (unlike the IBC).
It’s the working class wot gets the blame and its them wot gets ethnic communities plonked in their backyards. Those who want a multi racial society know that at first the victims will get worked up but after the Police and Press have worked them over they will submit.
As the BBC knows Australians deserve all they get for living in a muslim country. Well of cause it would have been if the British had not got there first, the buggers. Look at Indonesia.
The CIA was so succesfully infiltrated by soviet spys in 1946 America that it was estimated that 20% of there staff where also getting paid by Stalin. If this can happen to the CIA 60years ago. How difficult would it be for Islamic fundermentalists to infultrate the BBC and our goverment? in 2005 Britain? Answer very very easy.
[This comment was deleted.]
Edited By Siteowner
Susan, yes I thought the “attacking cars” comment was a priceless example of tunnel vision.
I appreciate your offer to pay my license fee, but I’m not British!
Er…. I’m Anonymous.
By clicking Publish you indemnify B-BBC and accept full legal responsibility for your comments
It is not the Australian Government or its immigration policy that has brought them here (Australia). It was Allah who brought them in Australia.
Many of them contend that this exodus of Muslims to infidel lands is comparable to the seventh century migration of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) from Mecca to Medina with a handful of Muslims, less than seventy in all.
These Islamists then went a few steps further and declared that Australia belongs to Allah, and as such all Muslims have the right to be here, in this Allah’s land. And why Allah has brought them here? That answer is also given clearly. Allah has a grand plan with this new bunch of Muhajirun (migrants).
The plan of Allah is to propagate Islam through His humble followers. That meant: these Muslim migrants, mostly from the Third World countries, are in Australia to lead these sinful infidels into the fold of Islam, so that righteousness is established with the sinners (that is, the western infidels) and they (the infidels) are given a ‘beautiful’ taste of Islam.
What an audacious statement—you might say.
Read the full article ( by a lapsed Ausralian Muslim) at
http://www.faithfreedom.org/ Arti…lkasem30729.htm
The Aussies are never as vicious as the Lebs. You just don’t know what you are talking about.
Even that pic of a supposedly ‘vicious’ Aussie is just an Irishman making faces, and behnd him all are laughing. It is just a show.
Meanwhile there was nothing whatever funny about the terrifying behavious of the ‘Lebs’ before and after the Aussies made a relatively feeble drunken stand at Cronulla.
Hey my wife is West Indian of Indian descent, short and dark brown (if I have to spell it out). She came to Australia in 1981 after living in Germany and Britain.
We were married in 1983, travelled all over Australia, both in the cities and country towns, and I have been alert all these years for any racial insults or discrimination by my fellow white Aussies.
Not one. Never. Nowhere. White Aussies have always treated my wife well. Better than they treat me (6th generation) even.
But Mediterranean migrants have given her a hard time. Hard to beat the ignorance and prejudice of the old country, even among the next generation.
And my wife’s view of current events? She says it is the mothers of the Leb boys who have not brought up their son’s properly with respect for others. And we have several shocking close encounters to base that view on.
Robbbco – The Beeb and other left/liberal leaning organisations in the UK and Australia love the idea of British/Australian antipathy. The Beeb will will always try and highlight that sort of thing.
For the left, that (UK/Oz) share any common culture/language/history/ethnicity is an enduring horror, a trivial coincidence at best. Australian lefties used to bleat about how it was really an Asian country hence Australia should have more in common with eg Indonesia than Britain.
I hear that someone is proposing an EU style set up for Australia & New Zealand, sounds reasonably workable so far, but the kicker is they want to include New Guinea and maybe even Indonesia. That will be the death of Oz & NZ.
I think that comment should be in a different thread – which I will attempt to locate!
Oops no, it should be here!
I see “A Lurker” is posting here too, that will, as usual, lead to confusion, ah well.
I have been alert all these years for any racial insults or discrimination by my fellow white Aussies.
Not one. Never. Nowhere. White Aussies have always treated my wife well. Better than they treat me (6th generation) even.
Aussie Bruce, how big are you? I’ve noticed that overt racism is generally in inverse proportion to the physical size of the intended victim!
My experience with Aussies is that they are less “politically correct” than the average American or Brit, (i.e., they are not as well-versed in avoiding all the linguistic taboos that have been deemed “racist” by our masters) but they are generally good-hearted and fair-minded people. I wouldn’t call them racist in general.