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 A TV documentary attempts to show the alcohol-fueled riots of
December 2005 were not an aberration and that racial tension in
Australia had simmered long before the Cronulla Beach incident
pitted white surfers against ethnic Lebanese youths.
"The Great Australian Race Riot" documents nine major riots
since the mid-19th century, beginning with sectarian violence
between Irish Catholics and British Protestants living in
Melbourne that led to bloodshed on city streets in 1846.
"As awful and as sensitive as it can be, when you look at racial
riots, they do say something about the political, economic or
social status," director Sally Aitken told Reuters.
"It's not just an outright racial outburst of uncontrolled
violence," she said.
The three-part documentary opens with a surfer riding the waves
on Cronulla beach but the scene quickly shifts to a glimpse of
bare-chested young men, some draped in the Australian flag,
waving their fists in an angry warning to stay away.
The 2005 riots are a sensitive topic in the country, with many
Australians considering them a national disgrace.
"What?? 'The Great Australian Race Riot'. Should have been
called 'The Shameful Australian Race Riot,'" read a comment left
on the Facebook page of broadcaster SBS Australia.
Aitken said she was stumped by the rhetoric in the aftermath of
riots, which are dubbed "un-Australian".
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"Isn't there something conversely quite Australian about rioting in
terms of racial conflict?" said Aitken, adding that race riots had
shaped the country's history.
"The country is founded on violence, both in terms of the convict
system and also the invasion of indigenous people. I certainly don't
think racism is particular to Australia or Australians; it's a human
thing."
Series narrator Peter Fitzsimons, a journalist and author, said he
found something positive to focus on, even in racially charged
incidents.
As an example, he cited the siege of a Sydney cafe by an Islamist
gunman last December.
The hostage drama just over a week before Christmas stirred concern
that the Muslim minority could face revenge attacks. But many
Australians took to Twitter to reassure them.
Within a few hours, the hashtag "#illridewithyou" was trending on
Twitter, expressing support for Muslims who felt vulnerable
traveling on public transport after the siege.
"Australia came out of that a stronger community," said Fitzsimons.
"The most interesting thing about it is that as upsetting as these
riots are, they actually give us direction."
(Editing by Tony Tharakan and Clarence Fernandez)
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