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A tale of two racists

By Stephen Hagan - posted Thursday, 11 September 2008


Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832) referred to as “German’s greatest man of letters,” once said: “There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”

With the final series in our football codes approaching the business end of the season, anticipation among fans has reached fever pitch. So even are the teams at the moment that it may well come down to percentages for and against to decide their final eight compositions.

As an avid rugby league supporter I cheer on the North Queensland Cowboys, Gold Coast Titans and the Melbourne Storm. Of late I’ve developed a healthy awareness for other codes and have become partial to Port Adelaide Power, Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn Hawks in Aussie Rules and follow New South Wales Waratahs in the Super 14 rugby union.

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I guess in many ways my preference in team colours are shaped by the colour of the team. More specifically I tend to choose teams with the highest representation of Indigenous footballers as the prime reason for my viewing rights and then I grade them on their entertainment value throughout the season.

Names synonymous with their respective codes like Thurston, Franklin, and Tahu are household names recognised nationally and internationally. Sporting commentators call them “freakish” and “worth the entrance fee alone to witness their extraordinary skills on display”.

These are great athletes. Their brilliance transcends race in an often volatile sporting landscape that has produced more than its fair share of ugly spectators venting their racist spleen from the comfort of a crowded grandstand.

Of all the codes I must admit I thought rugby union, the big dollar drawcard for cross-code hopping (think Sonny Bill Williams and Timana Tahu), was exemplary with its crowd behaviour. I guess I presumed that the audience, many with backgrounds from private school education and big corporate dollar sponsorship, equated to a more refined and knowledgeable spectator base that rose above unsavoury antics periodically associated with their poorer cousins in the NRL and AFL.

But a conversation I had recently with a concerned mother caste serious doubt on my previously held views on the propriety of rugby union spectators.

After a screening of our documentary Nigger Lovers in Toowoomba Christine approached Rhonda and I to congratulate us on our film and our long unwavering public campaign to rid the E.S. “Nigger” Brown Stand sign of its offending word.

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She also asked if we could spare her a couple of minutes to share a pertinent story of racism that she encountered recently while attending the All Blacks v Springboks game in New Zealand. Christine said she wanted to share her story with us because: “… your strength inspired me to stand up for what I believe in at a recent All Blacks game in Dunedin.”

Christine prefaced her comments by saying “The thing to remember about an All Blacks game is that rugby is almost a national religion in New Zealand. The All Blacks represent a collective identity and pride.”

As a Pakeha (white New Zealander) Christine said she was aware that racism existed in New Zealand, because some white people believe it is OK to espouse racism around other white people, believing they are safe and among the converted.

Christine said she held a misguided belief that New Zealand's social justice record was still intact, but sadly she was soon disgusted and angered by two drunken white males who sat behind her at the game. To make matters worse she had been separated from her husband and teenage son who had to sit in another section of the stand because they couldn’t secure tickets together in the capacity crowd.

She said approximately 10 minutes into the game these racists used vile language that not only extended to Maori players (coons and monkeys) on the field but to the Chinese people (slanty-eyed mongrels) who sat around her in the family stand.

“I sat there feeling physically ill, my heart pounding, my face burning with anger, I thought of you both (Rhonda and me) and thought what you would do in these circumstances,” she said in an emotive tone.

“It is just not in me to sit back and allow social injustice to happen: I turned to the two racists and said calmly; ‘I am offended by the racist rhetoric and foul language that you are using, and find what you are saying is unacceptable and illegal, I am asking you to desist this racist rhetoric now’.”

Christine said her comments where met with an increase in offensive language that also turned noticeably sexist in nature with comments of “Go back into the kitchen where you belong you stupid bitch”.

Persistently, and I might add courageously, Christine informed us that she once again turned to the two racists and said, "I have asked you to desist, if you continue with this language I will find someone with more authority than me to have you removed".

She said her comments didn’t “go down well” - after all these racists had paid “$65 per ticket and I suspect a lot of money on alcohol and were watching their favourite sport live,” and there she was threatening to have them removed. However, after her second verbal tussle Christine commented that “their racist rhetoric increased and they started to become physically abusive by digging their knees into my back”.

On feeling considerable pain from the knees pounding her back she rose to her feet again and said "I warned you" and got up and descended the stairs where she located the police and promptly asked to have them removed.

The police spoke to the two racists giving them a warning and explaining that a complaint had been made, and that if they did not desist from using racist and sexist language they would be removed from the stand.

Christine said the police spoke to her in front of the racists and explained if their behaviour continued she should contact them and they would be removed.

After the police left the stand she said the racists’ diatribe increased as did the physical abuse with her back and shoulders now being pushed and the hood of her jacket being yanked.

Resolutely Christine said she turned to the racists and said "I warned you" and once again walked down the stairs to report events to the police. She said a security guard on hearing the commotion asked if she would like to be shifted to which she said "I don't think so - move them".

To their credit Christine said the police officer curtly said to the security guard "No you won't be moving her, she has done nothing wrong - they need to be moved".

Christine said she was pleasantly surprised by the police officer’s response but was disappointed when only one of the racists was removed from the stand while the other remained in his seat. With a wry grin she commented that the evicted racist’s new view of the game was poor and it was freezing cold and he would have found it “uncomfortable away from his mate and beer supply”.

To my surprise the story didn’t end there as Christine continued with more bad news. “Upon having one racist removed the second racist gutlessly waited for the police to leave and started screaming obscenities in my face. I once again said calmly ‘you were warned’ and proceeded to walk down the stand to get the police, but as I was walking away he got up to go after me and a lady sitting two seats away from me stood up and blocked him.”

By now I was fast developing a picture in my mind: of the chaos engulfing Christine’s immediate personal space in the grandstand and all active players in this most unfortunate event, as it unfold.

Christine continued: “Not deterred the racists started to push her (the other woman) around and her son starting screaming with terror. The woman’s husband quickly stood up to push him out the way and this delayed the racist a bit and by the time I was half way down the police, observing events, quickly ascended the flight of stairs past me to apprehend the perpetrator.”

“By this time my husband and son, who had been seated in another section of the stand and were unaware of previous events, spotted the commotion and on reaching me escorted me back to my seat. My husband and son took the two seats vacated by the racists to deter anymore outbursts from other drunks in our vicinity.”

Christine said she found out later that the racist who had first been evicted from the stand continued to aggressively protest his eviction and was eventually kicked out of the grounds altogether. His partner-in-crime also saw the outside of the stadium soon after and well before the full time siren sounded.

I thanked Christine for her strength and courage in the face of adversity and wished her well in her social justice endeavours.

As I sit and think about the plethora of exciting TV footy on display this weekend I am constantly drawn back to Christine’s amazing story and Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe prophetic words: “There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”

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About the Author

Stephen Hagan is Editor of the National Indigenous Times, award winning author, film maker and 2006 NAIDOC Person of the Year.

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