Opinionated2. The problem as I see it is that in Australia you can burn the flag, bully people and be a total thug and it is okay and you are even protected by the Government.

Try being a whistleblower and protecting the innocent and see what happens to you!

The balance is out and like everything it comes from the top.

Burning the flag doesn't need to be a jail term offence but to not even get a slap on the wrist or be told it is wrong sets a bad example and shows a total lack of respect especially when alot of the times the flags that are burnt dont belong to the person destroying them. It should be a crime especially if the flag it stolen.

As for the Aboriginal people, well who can blame them!

There is intolerance everywhere in Australia especially in over crowded suburbs around most cities where the new arrivals pack together in suburbs,flats,and houses wher many of these new arrival form other nations say they come here to Australia to be Australian's.

What part of an Australian are they referring to? Do they mean they can get handouts at Centrelink,to talk like us,to dress like us,to live like us and be community minded like us? What are they on about?
I live in a small country town where Italians migrated to over 60 years ago or so,they keep to thmeselves (no trouble) but still have Italian accents and many can't speak English.

We need to change this as all should attend a "boot camp". on arrival to OZ for 3 months to learn all about Australia ,our ways ,belief s,our Christian heritage,food,sports,community mindenness,and above all our language . Otherwise it will just remain h the same forever until intolerance grows more .

Benjamin,

You wrote

What ever led you to assume that being critical of members of ethnic or religious groups outside of the one to which oneself identifies, equates to racism? Why can’t it just be criticism, plain and simple, where critical reason is the judge?

After this I didn't bother reading the rest of your post cos I knew what was coming next. Yawn!

Your liberal belief in a universal subjectivity (we are all equal so get on with trying to be equal you ethnic people and don’t name white privilege and power) presumes racism will magically disappear -all because you don’t want to discuss on these terms.

What? But you get to name ethnic / non white people whenever? What kind of [deleted for swearing] critical reason is this? Go play Mr Ostrich with someone else dude.

If multiculturalism was to represent Australia, it would have to be voted on by Australians.
The word that should describe Australia is Democracy.
Multiculturalism represents 30 years of corruption of our democracy where voting on an unpopular policy has been carefully avoided so that it can continue against the will of the people.
Every poll I have seen in that thirty years showed around 70% of people against it.

Thor, ill argue with whoever I want.

And why should I care if you are a law student? Does your degree somehow give your opinions level of legitimacy above others?

Incidentally, your tendency to resort to shouting in capitals in a juvenile and ineffectual rage at the slightest hint of disagreement does not fill me with great confidence for your future career.

Ok, let’s go through this one more time.

You say the attacks were based on 'other factors' and not racism:

"*(the other factors may have been the constant intimidation, hatred for Australians, assaults, threats of rape to young Australian girls, actual rapes, shootings, thuggery, and other asocial conduct in society). "

And how do we know that the victims of the attacks were involved in any of those 'other factor'?

Oh yes, because they 'looked like they were'.

Found guilty and punished by a mob on the grounds of physical correlation?

Ah, the proud to be the patriotically incorrect, your conception of Australia is as much an anathema to the sprit and wording of our constitution as sharia law.

To apply your logically flawed justification to other situations: some whites are Nazis, therefore all whites are Nazis, some men are rapists, therefore all men are rapists.

Im not suggesting that the community in Cronulla does not have some valid concerns, or that a public protest is an inappropriate way of expressing those concerns. But any legitimacy the protest may have held was immediately discarded when innocent Australians were attacked, their complicity in your 'other factors' determined by the colour of their skin and the manner of their dress.

But then your, and other's, argument has always been that those who were attacked were not innocent, a strange position for someone who is supposedly a law student, and who therefore should be aware of the principal of the assumption of innocence. Perhaps the PM was correct to highlight a need to teach the basis for the principals of law and democracy that we hold to be one of the defining characteristics of this country.

Benjamin,

Have a confession to make: your postings on this article shows a drop in your IQ.

"Wouldn't you criticise the Nazis? (Oh, speaking of Nazis, Hamas has just been elected! Tell me, Chomsky, would it have been “wrong” to “deter democracy” there a little?)"

Any Arab or Israeli with IQ above 75 will tell you Hamas could have never reached power if it wasn't for decades of opression and failing to guarantee them a decent job and a hope in the future.

Hamas in power is a result of decades of policy of denial of Palestinians rights and shifty manoeuvres...Ostrich head in the sand...'it will all go away'..