Racial abuse caught on smartphone

21 Nov 2012, 7:53 pm   -   Source: Andy Park, SBS
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Victoria Police are now investigating racial abuse aimed at a party of singing French backpackers aboard a Melbourne bus that was uploaded to YouTube in an attempt to shame those responsible, writes Andy Park.

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10.21AM UPDATE FROM VICTORIA POLICE:

Victoria Police takes incidents of this nature seriously and detectives from Transit Crime Investigation Unit are now actively investigating  the matter. Anyone with information or who recognises people in the You Tube  video is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

EARLIER:

A torrent of racial abuse aimed at a party of singing French backpackers aboard a Melbourne bus has been uploaded to YouTube in an attempt to shame those responsible.

The episode was filmed by Mike Nayna, who was riding the bus from Edithvale in Melbourne’s south-east on November 11.

The bus was full of tired beachgoers, some of whom Mr Nayna said were intoxicated and frustrated at delays to the service, which was replacing trains, when tempers flared about 10.30pm.

“A group of French backpackers broke out into song in French at the back of the bus, but some people at the front sung ‘Aussie, Aussie Aussie’ back,” Mr Nayna told SBS News.

He said the confrontation escalated with three passengers, including one man who can be seen in the video, calling for the “black people” to be thrown off the bus.

“I’m brown, so he clocked me and the others on the bus and he started going on a rant about he hated black people,” Mr Nayna said.

“The main problem was that he was being egged on.”

Mr Nayna says other passengers offered the man beer and cigarettes.

“Everyone on the bus wants to kill you,” he appears to say to the French woman.

The French couple, who can also be seen in the video, did not retaliate, Mr Nayna said.

“They were really scared, really scared.”

The incident ended in terrifying fashion when a rear window on the bus was smashed, causing the French couple to flee.

Mr Nayna, a stand-up comedian, said he produced and uploaded the video in a humorous style to intentionally to shame the three main offenders.

“Shame is a good word, because it was shameful behaviour. I packaged it in a way that would make it easy to share it,” he said.

“I hope that these guys will be shamed into not voicing those opinions anymore. I just want them to be really embarrassed.”

Dr Andre Oboler, CEO of the Online Hate Prevention Institute, told SBS the use of videos to expose racist behaviour and other forms of online hate can be a powerful public education tool.

"Social media does however need to be used with caution as such videos can be come a rallying cry for further racism if the context isn't clear.

"This poster has taken the effort to provide background, and that is very welcome, but ideally such commentary should be embedded in the video itself to prevent their removal and the misappropriation of the content for the purpose of hate promotion."

The incident recalls the use of smartphone footage to expose racial abuse on the London Underground earlier this year.

Tube passenger Jacqueline Woodhouse was jailed for hurling racist abuse at fellow passengers after a video of her rant went viral on YouTube.

Mr Nayna said he would happily provide information to police or a court about the incident but said he felt exposing the behaviour would be more effective than punitive measures.

Racial Abuse , Andy Park SBS

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Your Comments

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Charles_Martel

Charles_Martel - from Sydney, 6 months ago

Strange is it not how any form of racism against white people is never given the same amount of media attention or hysterical reporting in fact it is completely denied by the media.

no studying in aust

mark - from lidcombe, sydney, 7 months ago

told my nephew not to study in australia coz it can get violent here when I saw what's going on in tv and real life! really not worth it when you consider you can have a nice time in canada or the usa! and better quality as well!

My video response to this video

Adam Francis - from Melbourne, 7 months ago

Here is my response to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW7cJgKOJds Check it out, and fell free to comment

Fix it

Michael - from Sydney, 7 months ago

Look at the kids in that video, and realise they're being raised to turn out like their parents. If we don't address this issue, the next generation will have exactly the same problems we have now. But Australians never want to even think about how we can improve. Why is our reaction never "we need to fix this", but instead "meh, we're not racist, it's like this in every country"?

No racial abuse but a drunks culture clash

brigittte - from newborough, 7 months ago

Ludicrously sensationalized by repeated references to scary "racial abuse" on a bus. French are Caucasians like the abusers. Different ethnically, language wise and been suggested a tad arrogant in the way they come across to some other nationalities. That quality of just expressing themselves as they feel like may get dangerously low in caution around others who are more touchy. Unrestrained episode of a clash of cultures rather than true prejudice occurred. Booze was the biggest problem.

Don't think French people aren't rude and racist.

Rex - from Canberra, 7 months ago

Having been overseas on several occasions i can inform the underinformed here that the French as just as rude and racist as those guys on the bus. Saying that i find nothing in this story to interest me, must be a slow news day for some leftard reporter to bring this crap up and try to paint once again Australians as racists. You want to see violent French people, youtube French and football and see what you get.

Mr

Pat McLaughlin - from Canberra, 7 months ago

Unfortunately, Melbourne, you have 'form'. Melbourne is rapidly developing a reputation as a very racist city.

racial abuse

Colourblind - from Sydney, 7 months ago

What do you expect from half educated,half baked people who hide behind the grog or group mentality or worse still hide behind the Aussie flag who have realised that they have lost their superiority to other non white cultures.The world has moved on ,they are unhappy and they clearly resent that.Instead of improving their skills they revert to the dark side of humanity.

Frankston

The Claw - from Sydney, 7 months ago

Prejudice against someone based on where they come from is absolutely wrong and disgusting. But at the same time, I have to confess, when I first heard this news, I read "..a late-night bus on the Frankston route.." and instantly thought, "ah, Frankston bogans, how typical."

Ugly white trash

Graeme Henderson - from Tara, 7 months ago

Get these racists, take them out to International Waters and tell them to keep walking. The one with a pram isn't fit to be a parent, but then the patents of these racists were not fit to be parents. Well done Mr Nayna for exposing them, and for drawing out tge others on here like Ashley - from Adelaide and Mr Scales - from Perth.

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