Racist and xenophobic Australian bus bullies make global headlines.

Video clips of trashy and violent behavior by Australians on a bus in Melbourne have made global headlines.

The incident began when some female tourists sang a French song on a bus.

This caused an aggressive reaction from some locals, because the tourists did not sing in English.

What first appeared as a joke to the tourists then became serious, with threats of violent physical abuse

A local Australian comedian (who considers himself "brown") attempted to intervene, and then he was targeted, with shouts that "darkies" should sit at the back of the bus.

Eventually a bus window was broken by one of the boorish locals.

Considering some YouTube commentary, the clip has caused everything from outrage to humor, to cautions against visiting Australia.

I'm not sure what to make of it.
Was it just a few drunks causing the trouble?
What kind of adults threaten to cut a woman's breasts off, or to assault people with a box-cutter just for speaking French?

Could this happen in the US?
Does this behavior even make sense?

MELBOURNE — Australian police were Thursday investigating after bus passengers were caught on camera hurling a torrent of threatening and racist abuse at a French woman in an incident that went viral on YouTube. The woman and a group of friends were returning from a day at the beach when one of them began singing in her native tongue, prompting an angry reaction from some of the passengers on the packed bus. One aggressively demanded she "speak English or die" and then threatened to cut her breasts off. Another man pushing a pram joined in, shouting that he would knife her. The woman was then told "everybody on the bus wants to kill you" before the incident ended with a bus window being smashed.

www.google.com...

Could ignorant drunkards accost someone in the US?

Happens everyday

MSM only tells stories from other countries.

We don't like to shine the light on ourselves.

its funny, over here in America, i just came across some college soccer players from over seas, it was a group of them, they were English, Australian, and German, guys and girls. they were lost and i decided to help them back to there car. as were walking a black guy walks through are group of about 7 or 8(kinda rude but whatever, no harm no foul) and instantly the Aussies and English start yelling out racists slurs and names, which then provocs the guy and they get all get into a yelling match and many racist things were said(all in the presence of one of there soccer pals who was black) i was appalled at the blatant racism. i will say this the German guy was quite the whole time it was the Aussies and the Brits that had the of racist comments. i finally diffused the situation by telling the black guy to "go talk a walk dr suees(he had one of those tall hats) theres 8 of us and one of you, bad odds"(not that i wanted to fight but i knew the threat of it would make him walk away, and end all the blatant racism)

so in the end, racism happens anywhere, buy anybody, no matter were ur from.

This is very sad.

Things were looking up for Australia during the Tolerant 80s. But PM Howard made Racism popular again in the 90s - It continues today.

Although there are many clips to understand the full viciousness of what transpired, here is a censored version, as well as some commentary from Melbourne comedian Mike Nayna:




Despite the effects of alcohol, it is astounding to see such extreme hate against people, for no other reason but their language.

Is racism spilling over into inter-ethnic violence and feelings?

Perhaps it's a storm in a tea-cup (and the out-cry from many Australians against these bullies has been noticeable), but it still leaves a very uncomfortable impression.

reply to post by halfoldman


please like the french have never been rude to anyone lol especially tourist something they are know for worldwide. I not say what this guy did was right at all. But to me it sounds as if the lady wanted to stir the pot they teach English in french elementary schools "i'am guessing". If she didn't know English then i take back my statement

Two people were questioned and released over the racist bus incident, while the tourist feels it was an isolated incident on her trip through Australia. However, police are still searching for a culprit with a red face and "dirty blonde hair" (not sure if that's a color variety, or a description of the cleanliness of his hair).

Victoria Police say they have identified a victim of the confrontation on the video but are still calling for public assistance. They are particularly keen to speak with a middle aged man with dirty blonde hair they describe as Caucasian in appearance with a red face. Mr Nayna said that after the Frenchwoman started singing in French, a female passenger chanted at her "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie", before another person shouted at her to "speak English or die". Ms Desaintjores says she doesn't judge Australians for the isolated incident and she had never before experienced such hatred during a three-month trip through Australia.

www.heraldsun.com.au...

What's the ethnicity of the French woman? If she was nonwhite, then their alleged problem with her language could have in effect been a problem with her ethnicity.

reply to post by reppie


From what I gather (since the press is quick to label incidents as "racist", but reluctant to describe such incidents clearly) the singing French woman and her friends were white.

The local comedian Mike Nayna (who is of mixed Maldivian and Dutch descent) was met with racial slurs when he tried to intervene.
news.ninemsn.com.au...

It appears that the bullies have their supporters, and Nayna has received his share of abuse for filming and spreading the footage.

Generally in post-modern academia cases of discrimination between groups of European descent are called inter-ethnic discrimination.

So the scenario began on an ethnic basis, and then became racist.

Anti-French sentiments in Anglophone countries are not unusual.
One thinks of the Bush presidency in the US, when "French fries" were re-labelled "freedom fries", and expensive French wine was poured into the gutter.

I find that anti-German sentiment is also still common, and in SA we also still have a hint of discrimination between Afrikaners and local English whites (although it's mostly playful).

Historically these issues were not always playful, although they were more about issues of class resentment, especially between various English accents in the colonies.

Anyway, a funny clip on how language shapes reality.

reply to post by halfoldman



Those of you saying this is in the USA .. I have never seen it at this level in the USA .. these bastards are just plane old racist ..the level of anger in them is disproportionate .. it reveals extreme anger and hatred ..alcohol alone can not do this .. they are pathetic and ridiculous ..and pose a real danger to society.. they need to be jailed ..

All I can say is let them try that s&*! in New York .. and they'll get their ozzy asses handed to them and buried down under ..under ground ..where they belong!

Strange to think that these were once the countries to lecture South Africa on racism.

Oh how the tide of history turns.

How is it being rascist when a white person abuses another white person? Seriously has the definition if racist changed or something? Yeah xenophobic is an accurate assumption, but racist? So if you insult a European person you're racist?

Kill her when she gets off,cut her breasts off??Offended for not singing in English?Bad enough threatening to kill,mutilate a tourist but a woman on top?Damn Disgusting.

reply to post by AlanQaida

Well it is both racist and xenophobic, because of two different events in the incident.

It started as xenophobic (against the white French tourists) and when a mixed-race person tried to calm the situation, or somehow spoke up, he was attacked with racial slurs (which is undeniably racist).

reply to post by halfoldman


Yeah I get that, I read other stories the other day that said the French woman was hit by racist attacks. Then again no mention was made of the other fella that tried to intervene.

reply to post by AlanQaida

Thanks for mentioning this.

If there's perhaps more to the story, or some more local background and developments, then do please post them.

I have much experience in Europe and in Germany in particular, and it always struck me that nationalism that comes naturally in a nearly all white, non-melting pot country could lead to awful bigotry, but that from the same population would arise the most profoundly tolerant, loving people. It may be cliched, but people really are the same everywhere, and no matter where you go, you can encounter all types. I would not blame Australians in general for these idiots, just as I do not feel guilt over the bigotry of some Americans.

reply to post by halfoldman


Sure it could happen in the US. We have more than our fair share of stupidity here in the US. But, as the article shows, we don't have a global monopoly on it.

Two bits from the article struck me..

One was they were wondering why more people didn't speak up while it was going on...

In an opinion piece, Fairfax Media said the most disturbing thing was that so few people spoke up in defence of the woman.

"The majority of passengers were silent and impassive, probably wishing they were elsewhere," it said.

But the thugs had previously said told the French tourists...

One aggressively demanded she "speak English or die" and then threatened to cut her breasts off.

Another man pushing a pram joined in, shouting that he would knife her.

So you have a group of nuts, yelling insults that are (presumably) armed since they are threatening cutting and stabbing. I dunno what the laws are in Aus, but if the other passengers were not armed that could very well be why they didn't say anything. They may have been afraid of being stabbed too if they spoke up.

What do I think.. I think the people that yelled are nuts. I think I'm sorry those poor people had their vacation ruined. I've met several Aussies..all nice folks. Shame its always the nuts that make the news and ruin things the world over.

Edit----

Looks like they caught two of them.. but let them go!?!?

'Speak English or die:' pair released as police hunt for instigator

reply to post by halfoldman


I'll see if I can hunt down those initial reports I spoke of.

ETA: here is a link to a story for from the SMH, only difference to what I originally read was that the guy who was also targeted wasn't in the initial story I read, here is the link
Sydney morning herald

Or perhaps the original statement of racism towards these women was made by the guy who filmed it, Mr Nayna:

"It was just weird mob mentality. They were feeding off each other and breaking off into rants and encouraging each other over some racist stuff — it was like a bonding session"

reply to post by Frogs


I have little tolerance for intolerance - if I were on the bus the story would have been drastically different, but then again maybe that's why I'm moving back to my home state to live in the mountains, I can't handle the stupidity that surrounds me on a daily basis.
Give me cows, sheep and an endless supply of wallabies to eat and ima be happy.