Police is Australia say that the African immigrant community is to blame for the brawl that broke out in Adelaide. It is thought that the offenders, as well as the victims, are all Sudanese. African immigrants and refugees from all over Australia gathered in Adelaide for the annual Miss Africa pageant. Witnesses say that the fighting began around midnight on Sunday.
The brawl consisted of about one hundred men and four were stabbed. Four men were arrested. Investigators believe that the dispute was between various African groups and that the dispute had been festering for quite some time now. However, the real reasons for the fight are still unknown to investigators.
The Chief Inspector notes that almost all the men were armed. Most were armed with knives but some had tire levers, clubs, and batons.
Australia is home to refugees from conflicts in Burundi, Congo, Sudan, and Rwanda and the African population in Australia is up to 500,000.
After reading this, I think about a video I saw in one of my classes. The video was about the "Lost Boys" from Sudan and the culture shock they experienced in America. I am a strong anti-violence advocate, so I am not going to justify the violence in Australia, but what about the differences in culture. First off, I am sure that Australia is much different to these immigrants that their home countries and it is hard to make adjustments. Also, many of these African tribes have probably had tension for generations now. Having them mixed together in a country that is unfamiliar to them is most likely very difficult for them to deal with. Culture shock is something that many don't take into consideration when immigrants arrive in their home countries. However, they are quick to use immigrants as scapegoats if something goes wrong.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Immigrant-Leaders-Call-For-Talks-After-Violence-In-Australian-City-104330523.html
1 comment:
I am quite angry to read something like this because when one group of people are misrepresented in an area of violence it's easy to than make them a scapegoat to all issues that come up. This creates many other social issues so I hope that the Sudanese and refugees can work through the problems being that they are using Australia as a place of relief therefore need to be conscious of that aid.
Post a Comment