Monday, 16 February 2004

Riots in Redfern. And you thought race riots only happened in America: The Sydney suburb of Redfern, which I drive through on the way to work every morning, erupted in violence last night in response to the death of a local teenager. Residents of the predominantly Aboriginal area claim the teen was being chased by police (which the police deny) when he lost control of his bicycle and was impaled through the neck on a metal fence. Eight officers were injured in the ensuing riot, and the railway station was firebombed.

To make an extremely sweeping generalization, Australian Aboriginals appear to have the same social status in Oz that African-Americans endure in the United States — the bottom rung of the caste system, with many of the same stereotypes applying to both groups. The parallel isn't exact, of course, and in some ways indigenous Australians have more in common with Native Americans… but some of the problems are the same: Ghettos, poverty, crime, hostility, prejudice, lack of opportunity. I wish I could say that Australia had solved these problems and that America could learn from their example, but yesterday's violence says that isn't the case.

I drove past the railway station on the way into work today; the windows are all burned out, the sign is partially torn down, and there were more police in riot gear than I've ever personally seen. I wonder what tonight will be like.

- Posted by Scott Forbes at 9:28 am. comments.