I'M NOT RACIST BUT.......

[CENTURION]

Don't you hate it when someone says that? Well, I'm about to & I couldn't give a fat rat's clacker what conclusion anyone comes to. Everyone has an opinion. When was the last time that you saw a bunch of Aussies brawling at a sporting event with another bunch of Aussies? Why does crap such as what happened at the tennis yesterday seem to happen time & time again? For puck sake! The tennis now! What's next? The bloody lawn bowls? I can hear all you do-gooders & Festival of Light wankers going "It's only a few that spoil it for the majority". Trouble is, it's ALWAYS the same stupid response! Nothing has/is or will change because these people have been feuding with each other for eons & are too bloody pig-headed to get over shit that happened in the past. You might say that what happened in the past was pretty bad, well STIFF SHIT! It didn't happen here, so build a bridge & get over it, or bugger off back to where the trouble started & sort it out there. Don't come here to live our way of life in the best bloody country in the world, only to try & drag us down to your mindless levels. Everyone should chill out because the 26th of January is just around the corner, so we should all fire up the BBQ's & chow down on 5 or 6 lamb chops. I'm not Sam Kekovich but I certainly get his drift. Sorry for saying what shitloads of people are thinking but that's always been my achilles heel.

[Wedgie]

I know where you're coming from, its not racist because we all remember Cronulla which was a lot worse.
It was overstated by the media because obviously tennis isn't used to any sort of confrontation, looking at the pics it was just a few 15 year olds having a go at each other.
BUT I've always had a go at the Cros especially as their 2nd generation seemed to have a huge chip on their shoulder and the only time Ive genuinely been scared for myself at a sporting event was games I went to support Adelaide City against the Melbourne Knights (Melbourne Croatia), they're bloody made, we had to hide all Adelaide City colours just to get out alive after winning a couple of GFs there and watched them throw marbles under police horses and flares through shop windows. Get these clowns by themselves and they're nice blokes, just get that gang mentality that's evident at soccer games (even soccer games involving no NSL/ethnic teams as witnessed this year in the A-League).
The thing that concerns me is the Croats I witnessed in the very early 90s means this mob at the tennis are probably a 3rd generation, will it ever stop?
Stupid part about it is there's no violence in the balkans these days and a Croat tennis player at the open is actually engaged to a Serb tennis player.
The original migrants were happy to be here BUT they obviously bring their kids up in a world of hate to have them feel like they do even if it is subconsciously.
I also think this sort of behaviour is a lot more prevelant in Sydney and Melbourne, when the Serb and Croation soccer teams played here last year there was not one incident.
The worst Croats I encountered with the "Blue Bad Boys" (or something similar) who came down from Sydney to Melborune Knights GFs just to start trouble.

Never had a problem with a serb or serbs as a group, they've always seemed like lovely people, but yes it does take two to tango and even the Greeks were involved in the tennis "riots" supposedly aiding their "orthodox brothers", the serbs.

The racist thing that is going on at the moment is how the local media describe "aboriginal gangs" rampaging through the suburbs yet when you have gangs of caucasians terorrising the suburbs they're desribed as "youth gangs". Double standards if you ask me.

[CENTURION]

Bring back Michael Brander & National Action. That might sort the buggers out.

[Rik E Boy]

Bring back Michael Brander & National Action. That might sort the buggers out.

I'm not racist but bring back Michael Brander & National Action. LMAO.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Bring back Michael Brander & National Action. That might sort the buggers out.

Read and learn..your mate would probably rather burn it.

regards,

REB

[CENTURION]

Okay, okay, maybe the Brander bit was a bit extreme but I stand by the rest of my tirade.

[Rik E Boy]

Okay, okay, maybe the Brander bit was a bit extreme but I stand by the rest of my tirade.

I don't disagree with everything you said. There's not a lot of future in perputating hatred from ancient squabbles.

regards,

REB

[PhilG]

..

[Wedgie]

No need to bring back Brander, there's been a lot of instances in recent years of Croat fans of soccer and their general population brandishing swastickas and making facist/nazi chants/symbols even as recent as in August 2006:



Source:
http://www.farenet.org/news_article.asp?intNewsID=723

[CENTURION]

Splitters.

[Wedgie]

The real problem is the community leaders not being strong enough to do the right thing. Even in Cronulla, the Lebanese leaders were trying to cool the hot heads on their side of the fence. What have we heard from the Serb AND Croat community leaders? SFA! THAT is the problem. All we heard was commentary from a couple of tennis players.

You'll have to expand your intake of news a bit, many Serb and Croatian leaders have come out condemming the behaviour as have any serb or croat tennis players.

One that springs immediately to mind is the report I read on the ABC website:

Croatian, Serbian leaders condemn tennis brawl

Community leaders have condemned the behaviour of tennis fans involved in yesterday's violence at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

One hundred and fifty people were ejected from the grounds after a brawl erupted between rival Croatian and Serbian fans.

The Serbian Voice newspaper's George Marinkovic says the actions of both groups were a disgrace.

"They should go there to see beautiful sport, to see that beautiful tennis there because we have the best players in the world come," he said.

"On our Australian Open, to see something like that is a shame, it's a shame of these Australian-born."

Mr Marinkovic says authorities should ban rival fans from waving flags in the future.

"I would ban the flags - you are in Australia, you fly an Australian flag," he said.

"You want to carry their flags, go back to Croatia or Russia or Serbia or wherever they come from."

Melbourne's Croatian community has also criticised the actions of fans.

Croatian Herald spokesman Tom Starcevic says the behaviour of Croatian fans was unacceptable.

"As far as the Croatian community is concerned, we condemn all violence and urge all Croatian supporters to act accordingly and not to be provoked and avoid any provocation," he said.

Mr Starcevic says a history of violence between the two countries is no excuse for yesterday's ugly scenes.

"I mean even at the height of the war, in the 1990s, the incidence of violence between the communities was very, very low," he said.

"For these things to happen now when it's already 15 years since the war has gone and everything, really these things belong in the past and we're living in Australia now."

[CENTURION]

Wedgie, have you noticed the proliferation of red & white & red, white & blue banners/flags?

[Wedgie]

Wedgie, have you noticed the proliferation of red & white & red, white & blue banners/flags?

Yeah its just like a bloody North v Centrals game, except those Croats have nothing on the Centrals fans when it comes to violence! (JOKE!)

[CENTURION]

Hang around long enough, you'll learn.

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

Angry Croats/Serbs... biffo...
For some strange reason I'm reminded of former Saint Kilda player/thug Lazar Vidovic!

[the tractor]

Wedgie, have you noticed the proliferation of red & white & red, white & blue banners/flags?

I thought it was the bloods and the cripps.

[JK]

I'd been holding off on asking this because I didn't want anyone with an itchy "You're a Racist" trigger finger to fire one this way, but I have a question to ask on another matter.

According to a report in the paper I read, South African batsmen Herschelle Gibbs has been suspended for 2 tests for making racial remarks ... Gibbs was caught by the stump mic. referring to a group of Pakistani supporters as "a bunch of animals".

Apologies for my ignorance, but I hope someone can point out to me how this is a racist attack? Would it be no different to say a Glenelg player referring to Port/Central/Norwood/Whichever teams supporters as a "bunch of animals"?

I'm genuinely looking to be enlightened if I'm off base, but I just don't see any reference to or attack on the supporters status of race in the comment that he's made.

[scoob]

I find the SA thing quite funny, Here was Smith warning Monty about playing in oz and how he was going to get racilly abuse and yet one of his players gets done for exactly (not quite exactly Agree with CP) that... Smith you are a DH-and thats not being racist you are just a DH.

[JK]

not quite exactly Agree with CP

Thats cool mate, I wasn't looking for agreeance, more for someone to enlighten me as to why those comments are deemed a racial slur so I can better understand?

[another grub]

Im not racist ... I hate everyone!!!!!