Besides the recurrence of violence among Balkan fans on the first day of the Australian Tennis Open this year being self-evidently stupid and embarrassing, it is perhaps above all really pathetic.

This is by far and away the most well thought out idea we've had

A really pathetic expression of half-baked nationalism from suburban mamma’s boys at the tennis.

Yes the tennis. Not a bad-ass crowd sport like European soccer matches where iron bars and pocket knives are common accoutrements among fans.

No it’s the tennis fellas, where all you’ve managed to do is scare old Aunty Pat and Uncle Frank visiting from Newcastle, confuse the international media and royally piss-off the nation’s largest selling newspaper by punching one of its photographers.

What next? Croatian fans head to the ballroom dancing to prove once and for all they “own da floor”?

The trouble between Balkan fans has somewhat ironically been amplified in recent times by the proliferation of great players from the region. Serbs like Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic and the Australian/Serb Jelena Dokic, and Croatians like Marin Cilic, Ivan Ljubicic and new Aussie/Croat young gun Bernard Tomic.

To their credit generally the players don’t buy into this crap (Dokic for instance has a Croatian boyfriend), with the unfortunate exception of the ussually affable Marcos Baghdatis being caught chanting anti-Turkish slogans with his Melbourne supporters club two years ago.

Punch editor David Penberthy wrote yesterday what I thought was a pretty good summation of the current status of Australia Day. Perhaps the expression of this kind of transplanted nationalism by largely teenage Australian Croats, Serbs and Greek Cypriot is the result of Australia’s own weaker, and largely formless, nationalism that Penbo describes.

But whatever you say about the problems of Australian nationalism, there is an undeniably more violent streak to expressions of nationalism among Balkan fans, many of whom I’m willing to bet have never lived in the country they proudly support and are seemingly ready to get all punchy about (in one charming incident last year a chair hit a teenage girl in the head and knocked her out).

Despite the immediate temptation to blame organisers or the police, there’s not really much they can do other than what they did - which is not let those intent on violence in or throwing them out and banning them if it occurs (it was hilarious to watch the tough guys turn into cry babies when they were told they couldn’t come into Melbourne Park).

This isn’t a rant about why people “should go for Strain players or not be there mate”, but the kind of violence that we saw yesterday epitomises the dopey pantomime that these guys engage in year to year under the lie of supporting their countrymen.

It’s not about support, or being oppressed back in the homeland, or avenging anything: it’s about brats with rats’ tails and silver tips in their hair wanting to stick it up their confected “enemies” with the legitimising force of cultural feud they understand and related to in a kind of picture book form.

****

Speaking of the actual tennis it was sad to see Maria Sharapova go out in the first round yesterday. On a day when several first round matches were delayed because of rain, the Russian went down to compatriot and namesake Maria Kirilenko in what turned out to be a pretty dominant performance.

But if you’re mourning the loss of Russian beauty at the tournament you may have never seen Kirilenko before. At the risk of The Punch turning into Zoo, queue gratuitous Russian tennis babe shot:

Maria, Maria, I once met a girl called Maria

Leo Shanahan will covering the Australian Open from Melbourne Park for The Punch

146 comments

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    • T.Chong says:

      07:41am | 19/01/10

      Nothing wrong with multi culturalism, or supporting some one from the
      “olda"country, just all the prejudice, religios, etnic and historical cultural hates needs to be left behind.

    • Jeff says:

      01:11pm | 19/01/10

      Having been at the tennis yesterday and missed a group of rather harmless and ultimately pathetic children act out the bigotted direction of their fathers who seem incapable of moving on and enjoying their new homeland it was for the most part a happy and pleasant day despite the rain. Could we wish for a return of the dominance of the Nordic countries as they offer a far more enjoyable and less threatening spectacle than those meatheads from the Balkans!

    • Tony says:

      02:37pm | 19/01/10

      Right, lets identify this handful of individual young idiots in terms of a particular ethnic group, and not the pathetic morons they are. Real smart (End sarcasm).

      Latent red-neck Australia in action, passing judgements on a particular group or background and not their individual behaviours, attributing certain groups as trouble makers etc… but NOOO, Australia is not racist when innocent young Indians get bashed and killed at higher proportion to the rest of the population. Us dinky dy Aussies, nah how dare you call US racist, you can’t taint us with the one brush.. the Indian media is biased/over-reacting. Cronulla, that wasn’t racism, Aussies aren’t like that.. the word of the day today is “Hypocritical”, can you say it H-y-p-o-c-r-i-t-i-c-a-l, very good.

      Paleeeaaaseee people. There’s a serious broader social issues and Australia is knee deep in denial. If you’re not Anglo SAxon your not Australian, but if try to be more Anglo, we’ll pat you on the head like a good boy and let you hang around with us. Do anything wrong and we’ll attribute it to your ethnicity.

    • Chris Cox says:

      03:09pm | 19/01/10

      Totally agree. Tennis is not the place for such thuggish behaviour. Leave that to the beaches of Sydney and the Gold Coast on Australia Day, thanks!

    • Rloader says:

      06:33pm | 19/01/10

      There have been at least 10 Australians killed in India and this has been covered up by the Indian authorities.  Good manners should be practised by all who attend sporting events and everywhere else for that matter.
      Forget about racism - that is just a cop out to blame Aussies for everything.
      Australians generally are not as fiery as immigrants from some countries. Aussies will only fight over something worthwhile, like for their country or over at Iraq or Afhganistan where they risk their lives for people of other nationalities.  The minority of Australian drunken yobbos are the same as these pathetic young lads trying to be tough at the tennis - show ponies!

    • Lucy says:

      08:45pm | 15/02/10

      Everything is wrong with multiculturalism and everything else you mention.

    • Daniel says:

      08:26am | 19/01/10

      This is Australia. If these people have some beef with each other take it back over into the country they came from. We dont need this crap in Australia. We have enough issues going on here.

    • C Wood says:

      08:43am | 19/01/10

      Could not agree more! I bet these brain dead morons are 3rd or 4th generation Australians who have never been past Albury! If they are so in love with the “history” and “culture???” of their so called homeland, our Federal Government should give them a one-way ticket to the destination of their choice and cancel their Australian passports.

    • Voxpop says:

      10:53am | 19/01/10

      AusCro has it right these kids have been spoon fed this crap from their parents etc - much the same as SM and others have been spoon fed the Aussie pride crap of assimilate or f*ck off.
      Generally there are selfish chest-beating angry posers from all nationalites.

    • Bemused says:

      12:52pm | 19/01/10

      Melbourne seems to be very violent place. I’m so glad I don’t live there. Is there a police force in Victoria or has your Premier Brumby sent them all out to supervise school crossings and hand out colouring in pencils?
      At least in NSW this stuff is stopped striaght away by our coppers. They were legends in putting an end to all that Cronulla riot stuff just by bashing a few heads together.
      Victoria is for sooks and cry babies…. and people who wear funny shorts playing Aussie kick-about-whatever shebangabang at the MCG child care centre.

    • KM says:

      08:31am | 19/01/10

      A quick note to our happy go lucky PM Kevin Rudd? This is what happens when clue-less politicians in government have visions to bring a diverse multiculturalism society together into one melting pot. In an attempt to lay clamed to at least one thing in here miserable term in office. What they fail to realize is some cultures just don’t get along. This is just the tip of the ice burg my friends. In 20 years time there will be multicultural gang wars in this country. And all the thuggish behavior you use to watch from other countries will be up in your face close and personal. We have already seen these clowns in action at soccer matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney acting in the same way as do there cousins back in there own country. So start building more jails now Kevin. Australia’s lucky country tag has long gone, along with its innocence.

    • Joe Stephens says:

      09:03am | 19/01/10

      Australia’s lucky country tag has not long gone… we still have our beautiful country, climate and an overwhelming majority of citizens who live in peace.

      Sure, the minority of bogans/ethnic gangs, (who are just as bad as eachother), make the news because they are more interesting. But it is not a representation of the majority, and anyone who thinks they are, funnily enough might like to take their own advice.. We are always going to be a multicultural society… love it or leave it?

    • AussieGal83 says:

      09:09am | 19/01/10

      @KM So what, you blame the PM for everything that goes wrong in this country? Stop being a tool and wake up. Why don’t you try and form, you know, a proper argument based on evidence?

    • jim says:

      09:34am | 19/01/10

      @KM says: 08:31am | 19/01/10
      Get your hand off it KM, we have all heard this “multicultural gang wars” crap many many times before and somehow it just never manages to materialise. A bunch of lame-arse bogans rampaging around at the tennis hardly indicates that we are on the verge of some kind of race war. What of the millions of ethnic Australians who could not give a crap about their suppossed ethnic “enemies”. And trying to blame Rudd is simply retarded, you really need to look up a few books on Australian history to get your facts straight.

    • Anton says:

      11:04am | 19/01/10

      Most of us Croatians that came over here in the nineties laugh at these idiots. Leo could not have described it better. Most of them can’t even say their name in Croatian and are just 15 year old spoiled brats. A good police beating would sort that out. Then again what can they learn from their parents that are still stuck in the 50’s when they arrived here. By the way to the people that are writing to the kid’s to go back to their own country. Most of them are already second generation Australian’s. Most of us that came from over there don’t have time for this, we are busy making money.

    • Gavin says:

      11:31am | 19/01/10

      A good police beating? You really do miss the Motherland don’t you? Thankfully we live in Australia where you need to be black to get that kind of heavy handed treatment.

    • Katherine says:

      12:04pm | 19/01/10

      Completely agree. I had a Croation friend in high school whose father drummed into her head to hate Serbians. Yet she has still never visited the country where her family originated. I have heard, don’t quote me, that Croatia and Serbia actually do trade now and things aren’t as bad as they used to it. These teens at the tennis are complete morons. In saying that, most Croations are lovely law-abiding citizens. There are bad seeds who have no brains in every culture

    • Angela says:

      01:55pm | 19/01/10

      Yeah they do trade, they do more than trade. The Croatian Government actually ‘leases’ out the Serbian Army at the moment for training etc.

    • Anton says:

      03:47pm | 19/01/10

      How would you know how it is in my mother land or do you watch to many movies where all slav’s are percieved as dirty, unshaven and with long hair barbarians ? Typical thiking…
      I guess the next comment will be that I should go back ?

    • Emina says:

      11:26pm | 21/01/10

      Anton, good on you for telling it how it is.  And Leo, if you are not Croatian, that’s pretty scary because you are right on the mark. It’s all rather close to home! Cro boys hang out at their aunty’s place because they fancy cookies and wouldn’t know how to cook to save themselves. And to be sure, they wouldn’t have read a history book between them, nor can they string three Croatian words together. I guess the unemployed and uninspired really do fancy a bit of a brawl down at the tennis, real classy. No worries if our model of Aussie nationalism is dubious or weak, these guys are promoting complex, nasty stuff well beyond their comprehension. I say turn them back at the doors and march ‘em back home to Mama. I want to wear my shirt without it being a red rag to a fascist bull, cheers guys. On a serious note, states like Croatia have a little piece of them that goes missing after war, contrary to popular homeland opinion. Anyone prepared to rebuild a country? Donate a bit of professionalism? Now why would you do that when you can be a fast lane Mario in Melbourne. Not sure about police beatings though, but hey, that’s their job!

    • Andrew says:

      11:53am | 19/01/10

      Obviously not real Tennis fans. This kind of behaviour just doesn’t belong in Tennis. Can’t these wankers just go back to Soccer? This kinda crap is endemic in “the world game”.

    • Pitch Carr says:

      08:29pm | 19/01/10

      hey Andrew, they came straight from the cricket.. how many evictions from the MCG were there?.. oh i forgot thats ok it they were aussies.not croats

    • Murph says:

      09:20pm | 19/01/10

      As much as I despise Krudd, he can’t be blamed this time.  This started in the 70’s.  Up ‘till then we had migrants from all over the world who became Australian and integrated into australian society, leaving behind their bagage and introducing their best into our culture, hence the great array of different cuisines available to us.  Multi culturalism was introduced in the mid to late 70’s and migrants have been encouraged to maintain their national identity, rather than being integrated into/becoming Australians.  This is the natural evolution of that process, where we now have a country with no national identity and a society riven with the racial bagage that should have been left behind.  If you want to make a new start away from the conflict and tensions of the “old world”, leave it behind,  if not, stay there or return. 
      “We once had integration, with multiculturalism we now have disintegration.” - Can’t remember who’s quote it was but I heard it back in the early 80’s, or there about

    • Biff says:

      08:49am | 19/01/10

      Aaaahh multiculturalism! We are the envy of the world. It’s been a long time since that old trope was used.

    • CSallen says:

      08:54am | 19/01/10

      This is exactly the kind of violence these idiots’ parents left their countries to avoid- they should be sent to their parents’ coutnry of origin for while like the Isrealis do when they’re 18 to:
      a) see what their ‘motherland’ is really like,
      b) remind them of how they have it here; and
      c) see what happens to them when they try to incite violence in a Balkan state.
      This kind of macho chest beating is nothing but pathetic

    • theodoros says:

      02:18pm | 19/01/10

      good point igor.
      many ignorant and uneducated readers don’t have the intelligence to realise that if every ethnic person in this country was sent back to their homeland we would be left with the original habitants.
      the hardworking, family focused ethnic people would also take their various levels of expertise, cultures, foods and everything else that has helped this country develop with them.
      the original habitants could also do without the excessive alcohol which has been thrown at them and not have to worry about their children being stolen either.
      let’s all leave then ha?

    • Pete from Sydney says:

      09:01am | 19/01/10

      @KM you have got to be joking right, your note was a piss take surely? , you reckon Kevvy ‘07 started off multi-culturalism in this country? Mate, it started a long time ago in different world, when PM’s like Robert Menzies ruled the roost…Italians, Greeks and others flooded into the country…followed by waves from other countries…your little diatribe sounds very old school rascist to me….

      these kids need a good talking to from the cops and their parents and maybe a foot up the bum…the article had it right, little suburban rats with no idea other than to make trouble, I don’t think they should even be written up in the paper

    • Ben says:

      10:38pm | 19/01/10

      Totally disagree with you Pete.  KR may not have started it but he has let the flood gates open wide.  10 years ago we allowed maybe 40,000 immigrants in a year.  Now we are letting around 300,000 or more in per year.  All the crap from the third world is flooding in here bringing their violence with them.  The one good thing about this violence at the tennis is that it clearly allows Australians to see what is happening and also the culprits are being named by the media.  In the last few years at the tennis the usual suspects, the greeks, croats, serbs etc ( most Aussies know who they are) have all caused problems.  I never asked for them to come and I want them to leave.  Very soon Australia will be a very racist country, as Australia learns quickly how these people have destroyed our beautiful country.  Remember they destroyed their own countries first before they came here.

    • DG says:

      09:23am | 19/01/10

      “A really pathetic expression of half-baked nationalism from suburban mamma’s boys” and a “dopey pantomime that these guys engage in year to year under the lie of supporting their countrymen”

      Sounds like the muppets rioting in Cronulla, and appearing annually at big day out, with their Australia flags and Southern Cross tattoos - intimidating all and thumping anyone that does not appear to be part of their cultural group.

    • Hel says:

      10:20am | 19/01/10

      Nah but that’s different, eh DG! Coz they full Ozzie!
      Just supporting good old Aussie freedoms, like not handling your booze and punching on with someone who has one less “australian born” generation in their family…

    • Chris says:

      01:43pm | 19/01/10

      To both DG and Hel, seems that there are wankers on both sides of the racial spectrum.  I say send them all to an island somewhere and let them kill each other.  Who really gives a sh*t what happens to simple minded f*cks like this, regardless of ethnicity.

    • Andrew Lewis says:

      09:28am | 19/01/10

      Maybe if we loved Anglosaxon Rules Football a little less in Melbourne and embraced multicultural Rugby League, then we would have less ethnic violence down here during the tennis.

      <end sarcasm mode>

    • Sherrin says:

      04:01pm | 19/01/10

      Anglosaxon Rules? Mate, you’re not only drawing a very long bow there, but factually incorrect. Australian Rules is based on a native game by the name of Marngrook, and is dinky-dye home grown, unlike League and Rugby which hail from Anglo-Saxon lands, as does Association Football (Soccer). Maybe you mean the players? AFL actually has not only had a lot of ethnic European background players (Barassi, Jesaulenko, Daicos, etc), a lot of indigenous players (Long, Wirrpanda, Winmar, etc), and soon will have a lot of first-generation African players as well. And just so you don’t think I am bashing league, I am a Storm member - we do League better down here too!

    • Barb says:

      09:32am | 19/01/10

      This is another example of Kevin Rudd’s multicultural paradise.
      The ALP have had their chance to diversify Australia, and it has failed miserably.

      Let’s stop cowering to the rest of the World, develop nuclear weapons, grow some balls and make Australia the first superpower from south of the equator. Or, we could just go to the beach, get pissed and let others take control of our destiny.

    • Paddy says:

      09:42am | 19/01/10

      We are once again missing the point. Where there is employment opportunities for our young people ethnic bravado and formation of “Thompson” gangs peter away because few have the idle time. Over the past 10 years Australia and Victoria has exported many many industries and businesses overseas to cheap labour countries. The void in opportunity has not been filled by any similar work. Service, technology and the like do not appeal to many of the young men in what was previously the population belts in Victoria that provided labour to manufacturing business. Sadly the unemployment is substantial and we are seeing it reflected in social behaviour, attitudes and emerging behind old symbols which as unpalletable as they may will always get a run when there are social ills that as a nation we are unwilling to address. Money is usually one of them but that is a totally new topic as you enter the murky world of political power, donations that can buy political policy and decisions, personal ambition and so on.
      As for this group, where are Mum and Dad? Maybe some have given up, maybe they were not aware their little darlings got hooked up in party organised by a few meatheads, maybe some have tried and are still trying to keep their children out of trouble, sometimes it’s pretty hard when as each day dawns there is nothing for the children to look forward to.
      It’s called biting the bullet, Hitler managed very well thank you in the 1920’s and 30’s as unemployment escalated and people became disanchanted. Perhaps we can still learn a little bit from history. Then again, money talks.

    • AJ says:

      10:30am | 19/01/10

      Godwin’s Law strikes again.  I mean, seriously, bringing up Hitler?

      To rebut this ridiculous point a little more thoroughly, you can’t compare 20s/30s Germany with 20%+ unemployment, huge levels of poverty and having lost a war in recent memory with Australia with <7% unemployment and a bunch of bored wannabe nationalists, who turn into whimpering goons when confronted by the least bit of authority.

      That said, several previous commenters make a very good point, we shouldn’t let the 12 idiots at the tennis reflect badly upon the millions of ethnic Australians who have contributed so much to our society.

    • bogan ethnic australian says:

      04:46pm | 19/01/10

      Its amazing how the subject of the conversation changed from Croatians to people from the Balkans to ethnic Australians.

    • Gary Guevara says:

      10:24am | 19/01/10

      A brillliant idea.. I think we should storm Parliment House and take over the government in what can only be described as the most heroic revolution since Fidel & Che took power!! Viva La Revolution!

    • James says:

      11:57am | 19/01/10

      Thanks Barb.  Its been a long time since anyone made me laugh so hard that milk poured out of my nose.  Australia as a superpower - not without the population dear.  And no population growth without immigration.

    • ~Rumpleteazer~ says:

      09:35am | 19/01/10

      Make them take their “hoodies” off and show their foolish faces. Crying because they couldn’t get in. That cracked me up. Not so smart now are you!
      I’ll bet their parents would be ashamed of them. Their parents have come from war town countries and lived with violence. Their deep seated hatred of other Balkan countries will always be there, but they don’t take it too the tennis and spoil a lovely day out for others.
      Good work, not allowing them in the gate. A good start to stop this crap.

    • Gina G says:

      01:27pm | 19/01/10

      Yes, the media is very good at playing the race/ethnicity card however, in this case, it is justified because the thugs were wearing Croatian national colours.  I agree with Linda Paric that the thugs have to be identified before their ethnic ties can be linked to Croatia.  It may well be that they are Serbian thugs wearing Croatian national colours.  Let’s get people to speak out and identify these thugs so they can be charged.  Shame on the families of these thugs, shame on their sub culture and the wider Australian culture which condones racism and vilification of minority groups.  In a disgusting display of Nationalism, thugs draped themselves in Australian flags and then began racist violence on the streets in Cronulla.  When you take nationalism to the degree of perpetuating violence then shame on the Country that enables this to happen.

    • BMJ says:

      09:37am | 19/01/10

      The majority of these idiots didn’t even live through the Balkan wars and were born here. They speak broken Croatian/Serbian. They are posers. They’re embarrassing.

    • AB says:

      11:33am | 19/01/10

      i lived in Australia from ‘95 until about ‘08…and you are 100% spot on. Embarrassing is an understatement. I have the old YU flag with the Red Star in the middle on my wall. Aussie racists and Ethnic racists are the main reason i left. But i will tell you honestly, i have been all over the world, and Australia has the WORST locals all over the place. ONLY in this country, when you go for a walk at night, someone that drives past will wind down their window and yell “f*ggot” or “c*ck head” or “f*ck you” not even knowing you or even seeing you properly for that matter. i have NEVER EVER witnessed that anywhere else, how many fights i’ve seen because those softcox can’t handle their alcohol, eye contact gets exchanged and everyone wants to fight, worst cases are at surfers paradise. Honestly though, No offence to real Australians, but the uncultured idiots i mentioned before, and other bogans of the sort are the reason i left AUS. I grew to hate that country because the retards are breeding and there is already more bad than good. If only most people could see what it looks like from the other side.

    • Damien says:

      12:45pm | 19/01/10

      Im sad to say that i actually agree with your point, AB. Im a white Australian male, born and bred here, and have seen first hand those idiots you refer to. Many times ive had abuse shouted at me by drunken yobs from a passing car (once it happened as i was actually driving and a car with a couple of idiots in the lane next to me started mouthing off - about what i still dont know).
      Its fools like that who fuel the perception of people from other countries that Australians are borish troglodites. This is a country where if (as a male) you mention you like watching theatre or visiting art museums, youre either a ‘poofter’ or a ‘soft c*ck’. Where drinking alcohol to the point that you vomit or cant stand up is rewarded with back slaps from your mates. Its not surprising that many immigrants are reluctant to accept the ‘Aussie Culture’ if thats how its defined.
      We are a multicutural country and wouldnt be as advanced as we are without immigrants. I object to those same immigrants bringing fueds from the homeland to Australian shores. Leave it behind. It wont be tolerated here. It is a privilege to live here; deportation should be used as a deterrent for immigrants, and stiff penalties should apply to Australians who carry on in a similar manner.
      There needs to be mutual respect.

    • acker says:

      06:20pm | 19/01/10

      @AB ........well if they yelled those things out of a car window in most other places in the world, some homey with a semi automatic would probably pop a cap in them…it is a price we pay for having our gang bangers under control and our gun laws tight.

    • Frank says:

      09:43am | 19/01/10

      Barb, are you serious? Apart from the fact that the great bulk of immigrants came here under Liberal governments (and has been a great social and economic success), why in the world would a small group of neolithic idiots at the tennis indicate that we need nuclear weapons? Have you really thought this through or have you just woken up from a big night out?

    • Rob says:

      09:49am | 19/01/10

      Wow, a few idiots make fools of themselves, and the racists come out of the woodwork.

      Daniel, HM and CSallen amongst others need to wake up and realise that the days of meat and three veg, and The Sullivans on tv are long gone. And may we all be thankful for that.

    • Wayne Hutchins says:

      10:05am | 19/01/10

      Bring back the Sullivan’s! Life was so much better when the Sullivan’s was on….

    • John A Neve says:

      09:56am | 19/01/10

      Barb @0932hrs,

      I like your second suggestion, “we could just go to the beach, get pissed”.
      We don’t have to “let others take control of our destiny”, they already have.

    • Bogan Bill says:

      09:56am | 19/01/10

      Let’s see, last time I checked; what Bogan Aussies (of all bogan-nationalities) still call ‘Multiculturalism’ is basically the rule of thumb in the rest of the world - ever been to NY, LA or London? Multicultural to boot.  Why is it that Australians cling to that word and pound it out with complete disregard for the uh (obvious) fact that the ‘rest of the world’ is now ‘multicultural’ (behind the bleedin’ times much?).  DG (muppets rioting in Cronulla) is right as is Pete (these kids need a good talking to from the cops and their parents).  Answers aren’t hard to come by if you use common sense. PS: No offence intended to law abiding bogans everywhere (God love ya!).

    • Bruce says:

      11:08am | 19/01/10

      Reality is all nations have been “multicultural” most probably for the past 5000 years, possibly more, (Think about it before you jump to conclusions). Its just that as new cultures are introduced we get “fear factor”, and unfortunately some cultures take longer to assimilate. Some cultures do not want forget their heritage, such as the scotts, the irish, Danes, germans, italians etc which is not a bad thing, however, some cultures want to bring their baggage with them. We do not need them ! In the mean time we have to put up with those that just do not want to fit in. Solution = send them back.

    • AusCro says:

      10:09am | 19/01/10

      “There is an undeniably more violent streak to expressions of nationalism among Balkan fans, many of whom I’m willing to bet have never lived in the country they proudly support and are seemingly ready to get all punchy about.” You’re spot on about this Leo. I’m a very proud Croat (and a proud Aussie) who has lived through the war and I have met numerous individuals like the ones causing trouble in Melbourne. They have never lived in the old country, and they are trying to prove that they are something that they’re not. In a way, they have torn identities. They were born and raised in Australia, but have been spoonfed Croatian jingoistic crap by their families all their lives. Their parents/grandparents, many of whom migrated to Australia due to somewhat dubious circumstances in post-WW2 Yugoslavia are staunchly anti-Serb and I would argue fascisoid. They most definitely encourage the youngsters to adopt some archaic “we’ll kill the Serbs” types of beliefs which have obsolesced (or never existed) not only in Australia but also in a much more tolerant present day Croatia that also does not tolerate this type of behaviour. Grow up kids, all you’re going to get is a criminal record and a life of bitterness.

    • Miss Aussie Cro says:

      08:36pm | 19/01/10

      As a fellow Aussie Croat, I totally agree with you (saying that, I doubt the kids you are referring to will even begin to understand what you are trying to say). Its true, I come from a family of “staunch Croats” taught to identify myself as Croat first, and given the basics about serbs = bad etc. But I have travelled to Croatia many many times, and the locals there are completely bemused by these young people, raised in a country on the arse end of the world who claim to be bigger croats than those born there… believe me, these kids would get a rude shock if they every visited their “domovina” (ie homeland). But, perspecitve is needed - this is a bunch of 15 year olds getting up to no good. There are hundreds of thousands of people dead and dying in Haiti, and in the land of Oz this takes up more column inches in the paper….that to me is more reflective of the wider aussie culture than this little blip on the social radar

    • Chewy says:

      10:33am | 19/01/10

      Tennis hooligans! Its TENNIS for chrissakes! Only in Australia we would have such a bunch of bloody try hards. LMAO

    • davo says:

      06:47am | 20/01/10

      Bwahahahahahah, your spot on. What next roits at the
      tiddlywinks championships!!

    • SM says:

      10:34am | 19/01/10

      When you, or your family, come to Australia from another country, leave your hatreds and your war based history at the door.  If you can’t or won’t, then leave Australia and go back to the balkans and take up the matter with your enemy.  We have no interest in your quarrelling

    • Rob says:

      11:46am | 19/01/10

      Of course. Australia has such a proud tradition of bashing Indian students and taxi drivers, and glassing each other on a Saturday night instead.

      Australia: the land of tolerance and acceptance.

    • suzie says:

      10:41am | 19/01/10

      i love how melbournians think they are culturally elite to queenslanders. who are the bogans now? shame. people in glass houses shouldn;t throw stones.

    • Eat The Rich says:

      02:26pm | 19/01/10

      Wrong Suzie it’ not just Melburnians, it’s the rest of the country too.

    • Mark says:

      10:45am | 19/01/10

      Where was the violence yesterday at the tennis?? You call 15 yo kids waving around a lit flare violence?? hahaha what a joke

    • Vido says:

      10:49am | 19/01/10

      Will you be reporting Australian nationalist racists behaving in similar if not worse manner on Australia Day or is sensationalist reporting only warranted when “ethnics” are involved?

    • Brian says:

      12:01pm | 19/01/10

      I think if you look a bit harder you can attribute most of Australia’s ‘racism’ to roaming gangs of morons who have so little going for them that they have to hang their identity on something their parents or grandparents come to Australia to get away from. They categorise themselves and other by their ethnic identity because it is all they have, therefore any attacks on others are based purely on their misguided racist views.

    • Hel says:

      12:10pm | 19/01/10

      @Peregrine 11:21am
      ignoring the gaping hole in your argument in that these kids were probably all born here) What about Australians who commit any act of racial hatred or incite racism? Where do we send them?

    • Chris says:

      02:09pm | 19/01/10

      Vido, i believe the Cronulla riots sparked a massive outrage and media coverage at the level of racism from both sides (mainly from those so called “Aussies” who were to drunk to know what was going on).....where you watching?  Unfortunately now every time i see a southern cross or Australian flag, the first though that comes to my mind is “racist”.  Racism from anyone is a sh*t for brains excuse to incite violence and hatred.  Rather than targeting the Croats, Aussies, Greeks, Macadonians or (who the f*ck cares) any other race, why dont we target these simple minded d*cks who are making life hard for anyone near by, regardless of race.

    • CSallen says:

      10:51am | 19/01/10

      Rob- What the?
      Where did I say anthing about pre word war 2 Australianisms or anti multi-culturalism?
      Surley you don’t agree with these idiots making a massive ethnic based fracas over not getting into the tennis?  In case you didn’t notice- the protest these people staged was based on the fact that they think their origin is better than everyone else’s- is that racism? Or am I racist for not wamting to tolerate it?

    • Football Fan says:

      11:50am | 19/01/10

      Why is this an ethnic or multicultural issue and not a tennis issue? If this were a football match (and I’m not talking Aussie Rules football) it would be reported as “soccer hooligans” and we would have all those one-eyed AFL morons coming out of the woodwork making anti-football comments and basically blaming the sport of football for attracting this type of behaviour. Now we have everyone blaming it on multiculturism. The local media is so pathetically one-sided.

    • ImaWestie says:

      10:54am | 19/01/10

      From my time spent in the Australian Army Reserves, no shortage of dual citizens object to getting trained in Australia then taking the training “back home” to put it into use.

    • stephen says:

      03:37pm | 19/01/10

      Yes I think the notion of dual-citizenship needs to be queried, and it is not only related to this shebang.

    • Q.E.D. says:

      11:05am | 19/01/10

      Much as I don’t like Rudd, I have to agree with jim.

      Surely the families of these twits have some explaining to do?

    • Peregrine says:

      11:21am | 19/01/10

      I think this highlights a failing in our immigration and citizenship process. By all means this country should welcome all who wish to move here, no matter what country they are from provided they pass basic health, education, and security checks. I don’t think many would argue with that. But as a caveat to their entry and citizenship we should reserve the right to send them right back to where they are from if they commit any act of racial hatred or incite racism.

    • Auman says:

      11:29am | 19/01/10

      Let’s not pussyfoot around here, it is not an Australian who chants, abuse, throw, punch, or any other negative action words you want to use when not backing Australia. (not that they should be used when backing australia). How can a person be an Australian and still abuse another person (or country) while being another country.

      I am originally from Another Country, now an Australian, I would not consider it Australian to sit there in any environment and revert to my original Nationality and abuse the old country’s enemies…. how is that in the spirit of being an Australian?

      Sure you can have culture from the ‘old country’ but to continue the racism, hatreds, etc of countries not Australia tells me you do not consider yourselves Australian.

    • Jolanda says:

      11:34am | 19/01/10

      The problem as I see it is that this has occured because those who behave in a manner that is rude or disruptive during the tennis are not dealt with.  Many years ago you would watch the tennis and there wouldn’t be any interruptions with people yelling out things whilst the players were trying to serve and the applause would stop in time to allow the players to get ready for the next serve.  There was respect for the players and the games.

      Then some idiots started yelling out stupid comments and instead of them immediately being told to stop or they would be thrown out - people laughed adn no matter what they did nobody threw them out.  This is the bullying syndrome where those who disrespect and ruin things for all are supported by silence and by lack of action and in many cases even by laughter and applause.

      These young people then get more brazen.  To walk up to the Australian Open doing what they did without a care in the world is a serious concern.  This is not a race issue - it is an attitude problem.

      Education - Keeping them Honest
      http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/

    • Parker says:

      11:40am | 19/01/10

      i know its not right to respond to pathetic violence with violence but i wish my mates and I were there (all aussies) we dont go out looking for trouble ever but would have enjoyed putting these try hard gangsters back in there box. I see it all the time, they form their little packs and all of a sudden they call themselves a mafia. They will encounter ppl soon that wont be as forgiving as tennis security though, and they will cry for their mums when this happens, lets just hope they dont ruin any lawn bowls meetings in the meantime. LOSERS!!!

    • Rob says:

      11:51am | 19/01/10

      Of course I don’t agree.

      I just find the hypocrisy of many posters here galling. The silence coming from the general community regarding the spate of Indian assaults is concerning. Silence is tacit approval. Yet, these Croatian clowns, and lets be honest, that’s all those losers are, have brought out such vitriol.

    • 6clegs says:

      12:32pm | 19/01/10

      Couldn’t agree more!

      ya gotta remember that these losers are white wink

    • James says:

      11:53am | 19/01/10

      Serbs and Croatians largely migrated to Australia in the aftermath of World War Two.  I suppose you think that Mr Rudd was there holding his Mummy’s hand, welcoming the boats.

    • Hel says:

      12:02pm | 19/01/10

      It’s funny you say that. When I saw the headline on news.com “Racists bring shame on Aussie tennis ” I thought ‘wow, it must be bad, news ltd is usually so against using the R-word for anything, they always find underyling causes!’ and then I read the story,  and realised ‘ooooooh it was Croations, THAT’S why they were so happy to use it’...

    • Steve says:

      12:02pm | 19/01/10

      Unfortunately all it takes is the idocy of a few to spoil it for the rest, bit like what happened to our gun laws.

    • Gavin says:

      12:04pm | 19/01/10

      This is the end result of teenagers who have been through the worst public education system in the entire world. No respect, no discipline, no values. Anglo, yugo or any other creed it does not matter, they are all as bad as each other.
      I feel so sorry for hard working people who have no choice but to send their kids to the dreadful public schools in Australia.

    • Murph says:

      10:06pm | 19/01/10

      You can’t blame the kids attitudes on the education department.  You learn values from those demonstrated by your parents.  The idiot kids these days are a product of parents that grew up in the 70’s and late and have never known hardship.  Their parents have only ever known the good life and the kids have had everything they’ve wanted, and think that society ows them a living and their values reflect that. 
      They have no respect for anyone or anything and are only concerned with thier own selfish desires.  Neither the kids nor the parents would have have a clue of what you were suggesting if you offered them bread and dripping, and wouldn’t eat it if they did.

    • Hel says:

      12:05pm | 19/01/10

      (ignoring the gaping hole in your argument in that these kids were probably all born here) What about Australians who commit any act of racial hatred or incite racism? Where do we send them?

    • Al says:

      01:07pm | 19/01/10

      Heres an Idea, how about Jail.
      Idiotic violent actions should be punished harshly, either that or instigate a system of violent youth being forced to serve in the military, the basic training will have them ALL weeping into their pillows at night.

    • 6clegs says:

      12:25pm | 19/01/10

      And on the 26th these same morons will don an Ozzie flag and behave exactly the same.

      These kids parents have a lot to answer for. The complete lack of parental guidence across the country/world is shameful. Respect for the Rights of others isn’t even talked about in their homes - but by golly - don’t go “disrespecting” them!
      The Bogans vastly out numbers the ordinary person trying to do the right thing. It’s okay if you can afford to live in a ‘’ old tree lined suburb’‘, and if you do, half your luck - just spare a thought for those of us who get their roof and windows rocked (most days) and sprayed with taunts/abuse if we dare ‘terrorise’ their kids by gardening, watering said garden, or choose to sit on ones patio on a summers eve. They sure don’t like being ignored, they want a reaction, and if one doesn’t react they just keep upping the stakes! (sorry for going off track, it’s sometimes hard to concentrate when stones are raining down on ones roof…)

    • Phillip Har says:

      12:36pm | 19/01/10

      True Aussies = Mateship
      True Aussies = Positively contribute to this country

      Can the media promote what True Oz is about ?
      From Aussie Born Chink

    • James says:

      01:46pm | 19/01/10

      Define “mateship”.  In my experience, if you ask three Aussies what it means to be Australian, you will get five answers.  Ditto for mateship.

    • acker says:

      07:00pm | 19/01/10

      @James…...mateship probably means prefering to do a friend a good turn rather than a bad turn…I think that trancends languages and cultures. I hope you have someone you consider to be a mate James and I hope you are a good mate back to them.

    • nh jan says:

      02:25am | 20/01/10

      What a crock.  Aussie’s don’t know the meaning of mateship. It’s superficial, mindless dribble spouted by two drunk men. “yeah i luv ya mate, you’re the best”.  It’s another urban myth like “fair go” - Australia would be the most money grubbing, greedy, selfish country I’ve ever lived in, and I’ve lived in a number of countries around the world. When i’m not in Australia (and I’m Australian) I avoid Australian’s like the plague - the falseness makes me sick.

    • The Nude Wizard says:

      12:40pm | 19/01/10

      haha nice piece, If you went to school like i did with a fair few Croatian and Serbian students and had to endure their idiocy like i did you wouldnt be calling them racists or thugs, you would just be calling them out as the uneducated mummies boys who just want to please their parents by continuing the “war” in their minds. It’s true their parents feed them this nonsense and they hang out in secular groups and reinforce it with idiotic behaviour that is somehow rewarded by their peers.  The parents are soley to blame, not teachers, not schools. Education begins at home and most of the boofheaded uneducated gutter sweepers they call parents are barely fit to own a dog. But this is unfortunately what you get when you open the doors on your country to any old rabble who have a 2 arms, 2 legs and a heartbeat. Of course it is amusing to see the “leaders” of their communities trying to shift blame and cry vitimisation by the media.. they really are so backward thinking and small minded they might never actually be able to comprehend why we dont appreciate their nonsense.

    • Ivan says:

      12:46pm | 19/01/10

      I am Croatian Australian…. I have met my wife who is of Italian heritage but third generation Aussie, and fell in love in Australia first time I have came here to visit… After this incident I am ashamed to say that I am Croat…. As much as I’m proud of my roots I love country that embraced me and accepted me without any prejudice… These kids are probably all born here, have no idea about what life is in Croatia (and probably can’t even say their names in Croatian properly) and what sort of damage are they doing to normal Croatian community in Australia…. Unfortunately, I believe they are product of their parents… There is a lot of hate going on back there and nobody really knows why anymore… And lots of post WW2 immigrants brought that hate here and now spreading the disease among their children…
      I feel like apologizing to all my friends and rest of Australians no matter what their background as these kids are representing themselves as Croats… They are not speaking for all of us, in fact not even 1% of us!

    • NJC says:

      12:46pm | 19/01/10

      Yeah, I have been to NY and London. Not LA though. What I saw was a lack of integration between the different ethnicities. Everyone more or less hung out with their own. Melbourne is different. We’ve more or less integrated the differing groups. Obviously some are more resistant than others

    • stephen says:

      03:47pm | 19/01/10

      We are different, and it’s not so much ‘mateship’ that peculiarizes us, but we love the ‘nut’ of personality, hence we can discard shards of pretension, and relate to others on their terms as well.

    • NJC says:

      12:47pm | 19/01/10

      Yeah, I have been to NY and London. Not LA though. What I saw was a lack of integration between the different ethnicities. Everyone more or less hung out with their own. Melbourne is different. We’ve more or less integrated the differing groups. Obviously some are more resistant than others

    • Daniel says:

      12:53pm | 19/01/10

      Could not have said it better myself! We tollerate this all to often in this country and it has to end. Send them home or lock them up. I’m sick of our country opening it’s arms to migrants only to be slapped in the face for it.

    • Logic says:

      01:00pm | 19/01/10

      They are 3rd or 4th generation Australians. They didn’t come from anywhere but here. Don’t be naive.

    • B says:

      01:00pm | 19/01/10

      Great article, very accurate.

      I’ve got Serbian, Croatian & Bosnian mates who are all great mates themselves.  This sort of behaviour is just typical of the wannabe tossers who have never so much as visited Croatia, speak only English, listen to a bit of Thompson to get fired up and then pretend to want to fight Serbians.

      Wankers.

    • SM says:

      01:08pm | 19/01/10

      We send them to the tennis

    • Barb says:

      01:08pm | 19/01/10

      @ James says:11:57am | 19/01/10

      I’m guessing that was a double shot latte that poured from your nose.

      Anyway, let’s be clear - we only need immigration to boost our population because the native Australian birth rate is well below replacement level due to decades of feminist indoctrination at all levels of the education system. Join the dots, big boy.

      So all this goes on and all Ruddy does is write books like Jasper and Abby and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle and suggests our kids should learn mandarin - the only kerfuffle Rudd should worry about is what his failed policy’s are doing to our country.

    • Frank says:

      01:52pm | 19/01/10

      Oh dear Barb, you really are confused aren’t you? I think that if you look it up Australia’s birth rate is the highest it has been for 25 years. Moreover, over the past 50 years birth rates have declined in just about every developed country, its a by-product of wealth and rising living standards. So much for your feminist indoctrination thesis. You really do need to look a few facts up before you post such nonsense.

    • Adam says:

      01:18pm | 19/01/10

      If these idiots love their ‘homeland’ so much then what are they doing living here? I have Polish ancestry but I don’t care one iota for Poland - my patriotic loyalties are 100% to Australia because I live here and love this country alone. These people are truly confused about their identity.

    • igor says:

      01:19pm | 19/01/10

      Bunch of kids having fun!!!!! It’s hardly a riot or fighting that broke out!!! So a kid let of a flare!!! Are the jails filled with Croats? NO!!!!!

    • Ben G says:

      01:23pm | 19/01/10

      Remember the Swedish fans that used to come for Stefan Edberg? They were awesome. The only thing you had to worry about with them was having too much fun.

    • Helen says:

      01:27pm | 19/01/10

      I agree totally… my parents were born in Croatia, and so they know about the violence that went on over there. Worrying about being attacked because you were walking past a town that had a different religion. But that doesnt stop them having good friends here of that same religion.
      Most of the parents have left their hatreds over there, and have not instilled those hatreds in their children.
      Its the children who look for a reason to cause trouble, so they look at their ethnic background, and see as good a reason as any (well, as any that their small minds can think of).

    • James says:

      02:02pm | 19/01/10

      Hi Barb,

      No, it really was a glass of milk - keeps my bones nice and strong.  I only take my coffee black.

      Why are you criticising Kevin Rudd for failing to do in two years what John Howard failed to do in 12, or Menzies in 16,?  Are you, by any chance, just attempting to score cheap partisan points?

      In any case, to achieve great power status, relying only on increases in native birthrates would take many centuries - given the population of the world’s current great powers, we would be looking at a tenfold increase in population.  What really made me laugh was that anyone thinks it is possible for Australia to become a great power, with or without immigration.  Add to that the fact that becoming a nuclear power would involve us withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would most likely cost us our most important alliance, and the nose-milk flows.  Join those dots.

    • Vladimir Tasic says:

      02:28pm | 19/01/10

      Don’t blame the Serbs on this one.

    • Shane Smith says:

      02:19pm | 19/01/10

      I don’t condone the actions of these idi*ts one bit, however lets not get carried away here. The media always has a way of drumming up ethnic violence while sweeping under the rug anything that doesn’t keep up with its agendas.

      In much the same way that the majority of people on here are demanding they be sent back to their homeland (which i’m sure the majority were born here) lets also at the same time demand that the people that were central in the cronulla riots be sent back to their homeland or the thugs that cause trouble at the rugby league and AFL be sent back to their homeland as well - it’s the only way we can stamp out this sort of racial violence…...oh wait….

      carrying on from one of the comments i read, i think there might even be Croatian and Serbian tennis players in the same Grand Slams (shock horror) and here I was thinking all they do is maybe trade with each other now (but don’t quote me on that) some people live sheltered lives.

      Again I don’t condone what was done yesterday, but seems that ethnic violence is highlighted while other agendas are hushed up - and especially when a prize winning photographer is involved (and we all know how accommodating photographers are to other peoples private lives).

    • Elle says:

      02:22pm | 19/01/10

      Maybe the Balkan players should organise a press conference showing the world (and those flare-lighting idiots from yesterday) that there’s no place for violence, protests, etc at the tennis or at any other international sporting event - period. In most cases, all the players get along well enough to talk between thesmelves and organise a united front against ethnic violence and hatred.
      Come on Novak, Ana, Jelena (SRB), Ivo, Jelena (OZ) - take a stand immediately!

    • John says:

      02:30pm | 19/01/10

      Why apologise, what happened? some kids popped some flares and sang some songs, sure wasnt as bad as last years tennis or even Australia Day down at Cronulla - I was born in Aus lived in Cro and dont understand what all the fuss is about.  WW2 blah blah Nazi blah blah whatever man, If idiots goto sporting event and get into trouble does it really matter what jersey they are wearing? How many flares and fights and people were ejected from That A-League match in Adelaide, didnt see that on the news did we?

    • davido says:

      11:09pm | 19/01/10

      Well I will explain why it is problem for you.

      The sporting world has its’ attention focused on Melbourne for the tennis. That means that poor behaviour like this is broadcast around the world and it damages Australia’s reputation.

      That reputation means a lot to me. It also means a lot in terms of tourism, trade and commerce.

      Given recent events it is ultra important for Australians to be on their best behaviour.

    • theodoros says:

      02:32pm | 19/01/10

      Disagree young Adam
      i guarantee you that if asked, these kids will tell you exactly who they are and where they come from.
      i also guarantee that the majority of us in this country couldn’t do that.
      you are 100% Australian?..........good for you.
      let others express themselves too…....

    • theodoros says:

      02:34pm | 19/01/10

      then we would be left with sausage rolls, pies and pasties and the footy.
      that would be sad Daniel.
      wake up

    • LEO says:

      03:03pm | 19/01/10

      cmon boys have a carrot stick and relax, its just tennis

      why not take your ladies tango dancing instead?

    • Peter says:

      03:09pm | 19/01/10

      Tony, do you agree that your sweeping generalisations demonstrate your “latent” racism against Australians of Anglo-saxon background.

    • Andrew says:

      03:37pm | 19/01/10

      These people are mindless goons living in a time capsule built by their uneducated and brainwashed parents. I’m of Croatian background and know that 99.9% of our community are shamed by actions like this. Linda Paric - you must be kidding. You know as well as I do they were Nazi salutes. Stop lying and defending these morons who continue to shame our community.

    • Randal says:

      03:42pm | 19/01/10

      It is very simple to fix, if morons go to a sporting event and disrupt the event then slap them with a rather largish fine, something in the order of 10K. That would deter most of this element from fronting up and they can then save their flare throwing moronic chanting and violence for a sport that truly appreciates this behaviour… The Soccer!!

    • Bob the Balkan says:

      04:06pm | 19/01/10

      You people cannot be for real. What violence???

    • Chase Stevens says:

      03:45pm | 19/01/10

      I think that people who are violently nationalistic should not be put in gaol.

      No I think they should be put through the Army, learn some discipline and get away from the breast of their mother for once.

      Of course that might reinforce their nationalistic tendencies.
      Anyhow these children need to learn the discipline they obviously didn’t learn during their School years (Assuming they went).

    • Jon says:

      04:07pm | 19/01/10

      Spot on!

    • Tony says:

      04:38pm | 19/01/10

      Ah yes, was trying to be ironic, to point out how silly the whole ethnic violence slant on this story is by coming from the other direction.

      People who behave in an anti-social way must have serious personal issues. Individuals who wants to act tough and act out violence will find any excuse, including latching on to a particular background or symbols and groups make them more comfortable. But that’s an excuse they choose and a lot of people on the blogs (not saying that you are) seem to be insinuating that the background is the cause of the violence. By that rationale the several hundred thousand Australians that are decendents from that part of the world are also violent etc. It’s ridiculous. By calling it ethnic violence many people are buying into the excuse these idiots make by latching on to a particular flag or ethnic group, it legitimises them. Don’t give them the credit, if they commited crimes treat them individually like the criminals they are.

      Whatever crime they allegedly comitted, it can be dealt with by our laws. Good thing about the law in this country, assault is assault and murder is murder regardless of the background of person who comitted it.

    • Ante says:

      04:53pm | 19/01/10

      A Nazi salute and a Croatian WW2 salute are different…........... back to Croatian School 101.

    • iansand says:

      06:53pm | 19/01/10

      Ante - With which non-ethnic group did the Ustasha associate?  I suspect a distinction without a difference.

      But these are just dumb kids acting out their own version of tribalism.  It could be any tribe anywhere.  That does not excuse it, but it is no big deal.  Just the usual immature boneheads.

    • Ante says:

      06:22pm | 20/01/10

      Spelt ‘Ustasa’ not ‘Ustasha’ for starters. Dont forget - there is a distinct difference by defination in the words ‘Allies’ and ‘Axis’... and this is relative. FYI - Croatia was a Axis to Germany. My initial comment was for the readers to understand that there is a difference (visual and in meaning) in a Nazi salute and Croatian WW2 salute. Its obvious that it was your intentions were to relay ‘incorrectly’ that all Croatians are fascists.

    • Groundskeeper says:

      05:37pm | 19/01/10

      Where are all the police? All I saw was security guards. Brumby’s so called crackdown on anti social violence. YEAH RIGHT..!!! The thugs own the streets now, not the police.

    • Cuppa says:

      05:57pm | 19/01/10

      This is just another example of the great FAILED multicultural experiment that was thrust on the Australian people(without a referendum).It is actions like this that are the reason many Australians have a low opinion of immigrant minorities.Personally, i am sick of watching this sort of crap erode the freedom & culture past Australians fought for.WAIT! i am an anglo Australian that is proud of my country & has an opinion, so i must be rascist…...

    • Blue boy of Geelong says:

      06:35pm | 19/01/10

      Those guys yesterday didn’t target any particular nation/race…I don’t understand why are the Aussies the only ones complaining today…?!
      Get over it!

    • Peter K says:

      07:00pm | 19/01/10

      Your comment:, Anglo football, you must be kidding, haven’t you heard of Matthew Pavlich, Glen Jakovich, Alan Didak,  Ivan Maric, Jason Akermanis , Steven Salopek, Jason Surjan, all big names in Australian Rules Football and all have Croatian descent . I can real of a whole team but why bother.  When Australian of Croatian descent make their mark there ethnic backgrounds hardly rate a mention, but when a bunch a juvenile dickheads make idiots of themselves, orr how typical of Croatians. Also by the way, Eric Bana( Actor), Natasha Stott Despoja( former democrats leader), Ralph Sarich( inventor of orbital engine), Andrew Bogut ( basketballer playing for Milwaukee bucks in NBL,) Dean Lukin( Olympic Gold Medalist), Tony Santic ( owner of three times Melbourne cup winner), Simon Katich ( Australian opening Batsman), yes all of Croatian descent,  thats typical.

    • RB says:

      07:28pm | 19/01/10

      Well said daniel.I am also tired of the tribal mentality(& who stole whos goat back in the old country) of many of these immigrant minorities. Many people i know feel the same way.Australia was a much better place before the great FAILED multicultural experiment.oops, was that racist….......

    • Gazza says:

      07:54pm | 19/01/10

      Ethnic violence!  Where was the ethnic violenc?. What ethnic group was targeted?  Who got hurt?

    • Gazza says:

      07:57pm | 19/01/10

      Melbourne is a violent city. Get used to it. Look at all the drunken louts in the city, outside the bars and nightclubs.  Start living in the real world

    • Jack says:

      08:42pm | 19/01/10

      Im offended that you can be labelled a bogan/redneck/racist/pig because you have a flag drapped around you or don the southern cross.

      THAT IS RACIST.  and im sick of it.  You people sit around calling out aussies are racists yet you are using derogatory remarks against “the nationalist whites”.  Excuse me, but that is far to hypocritical.  You people disgust me with your calls, then continually deny that multiculturalism brings violence and problems.

      I will continue to turn this around, white australians are being villified for no reason.  Indians are not being attacked more than any other race, THEY ARE BEING REPORTED MORE THAN ANY OTHER RACE.

      Guess i cant expect you to realise that the media is focused on the indians as you don’t even realise by calling white australians bogans or rednecks you are infact, racist.

    • James says:

      11:15am | 20/01/10

      Bogans are by no means limited to one ethnic group or another.  I know Serb bogans, Chinese bogans, Afghan bogans, white bogans, all sorts of bogans.  The bogan church is wide, Jack. 

      I would tend to say that anyone who thinks we should limit immigration on the basis of race is indeed a racist.  It has nothing to do with whether or not they are a bogan.  You can relate it to whatever you like, but just remember, we had problems with violence when we had the white Australia policies functioning, too.  Read up on some history.  When we remove all the stupid reasons that make no sense, all we have left is difference motivating people like you to argue against “ethnics” - whether in skin tone or colour, accent, or whatever else.  Still, it must be hard for people like you, being forced to hear funny accents and look at people with brown skin, but for most young Australians, like myself and indeed my own young child, we are used to it, and do not really see the difference between young Croat thugs, and young white thugs.  After all, a thug is a thug, and they come in all colours.  And once the older generation dies off, no one will see the difference anymore.

    • Cazza says:

      09:55pm | 19/01/10

      I’ve been reading all the comments with interest, especially how they segue into other issues so well.

      Firstly, from the 40’s to the 70’s we were encouraged by Gov to have at least 3 children to do our bit for the country and populate Australia.  Catholics were encouraged to have at least 5 children mostly for religious reasons.  Then came the 80’s and all of a sudden we were growing too fast and were then made to feel guilty if we had more than 1 or 2 children.  But funny how the decrease in Australian’s baby production happened at the same time immigration increased.

      Successive governments started to take ever increasing control over our children while parental and teacher and police control was reduced to a minimum, producing unruly kids with little regard for authority.

      Then immigration ‘rules’ were changed once again and we start importing warring races who hated each other in their own countries, who bought that hatred and violence with them.  We also have the organised crime networks from those countries doing their bit as well.

      So what have we got now?  A multi-cultural society of Aboriginals and Anglo Aussies who still haven’t worked out their differences, plus a host of other races from countries who have never got on with each other over there, but are ‘expected’ to put aside all their differences and hatred for each other and be all pally pally here.  Yeah right!  That works well.

      It might take another 200 years to achieve a peaceful unified multi-cultural society, but by then we’ll be such a mixed breed the Anglo Aussie won’t exist anymore, so by then all the hoo haa going on now won’t matter.

    • David V. says:

      11:47pm | 19/01/10

      Yugoslavia stands as a multicultural experiment that failed miserably. The future of the world lies not in large multi-ethnic communities but in ethnically identifiable nations who are self-reliant. Even the Nation of Islam promotes the idea of community self-help, rather than integration and harmony.

    • davido says:

      12:33am | 21/01/10

      Is not America an example of an assimilationist policy that has worked?

    • Pugilist says:

      12:49am | 20/01/10

      Sharapova: easy on the eye, but sounds like a goat being slaughtered when playing tennis ... Have too watch her play with the sound turned down on the TV.

      As for the Croat-Serb losers ... Leave your conflicts back in your homelands ... Twerps!

    • Dan says:

      01:08am | 20/01/10

      This is what we get for closing down the old soccer league in victoria, the idiots have to come to decent sports to start fights, let off flares and be racist.

    • Dan says:

      01:09am | 20/01/10

      Lets all hope we can get the world cup then we can have them a tourists

    • 6clegs says:

      01:36am | 20/01/10

      “Cazza” - trouble with that hypothosis [from my POV anyway] is that the Feral Bogan neighbours causing me so much grief are 8 anglo kids, anglo mum, multiple dads [assumed anglo by the red hair/blond/dark headed brats… ]that range in age according to costellos/howards baby bonus’. wink

      There are more than enough 5th generation Bogans capable of spitting out brats bang.bang.bang etc. Being Ethnic has nothing to do with the bogan baby boom that’s gone on in Tassie since the libs started paying morons to replicate…

      Ah, if only the 2 headed thing were true - some of em might have a chance of having at least some grey cells…

      and a note to “Jack” who was accusing we Bogan shamers of being racist: derh brain, a person of the same nationality/race/colour *cannot be* racist to someone of the same nationality/race and colour… Massive Fail yer Bogan!
      but since I have no real clue to your race/nationality/colour - and you me, lets just shake virtual hands and have a virtual beer - coz that IS the Orstralian way wink grin

      Truly, only a person of colour knows what a racial slur feels like!
      We of the vanilla variety insult our black cousins greatly by claiming racism, -it’s cheap and it’s naisty.

    • Jen says:

      04:31pm | 20/01/10

      lol. Yeah heaps of rednecks here, even some writers on this site

    • nh jan says:

      02:19am | 20/01/10

      It’s a national embarassement. Brumby said that it’s shamed Australia. Yes Brumby because of your weak justice system and the out of control violence that plagues Melbourne, VICTORIA has SHAMED AUSTRALIA. Perhaps now, that the mess that is Melbourne has been shown around the world, you might take some action. You’re an embarassement, Melbourne is an embarassement.

    • Carl Palmer says:

      09:40am | 20/01/10

      So because they are “Croats, Serbs and Greek Cypriot” and that “these guys engage in year to year under the lie of supporting their countrymen” and “wanting to stick it up their confected “enemies” with the legitimising force of cultural feud they understand” or “recurrence of violence among Balkan fans” makes the rest of this country racist.

      Foreigners come into this country and bring their bigoted, racist hatred together with their behaviour and all of a sudden the rest of Australia is racist.  They leave a country where their police - who look more like the SAS walk around with sub machine guns cocked and ready for action into a country where the general law enforcement constabulary look more like a fireman or the average ambo. 

      I must have missed something here.

      Personally, put them on a boat and send them back to where they came from because in all probability they do have due citizenship. Once they have sorted themselves out and realised that they left a better place to live and are prepared to change their ways – which is the real reason why they came out in the first place to make a better life for themselves and their family, then they can come back.

      Seriously, if their parents can’t sort out their kids, then I want to see the full force of law used to pull these people into line. The problem is that – as has been the case in the past, the police and therefore the country will be braded racist because of this behaviour. As I’ve said, the racist card is always very easy to be pulled out and used to drag this country down to the same level as many other nations. People in glass house shouldn’t throw stones.

      As for people leaving this country because of this that and the other, no problem this is a free country you can leave whenever you want, funny thing is that Christmas Island is overflowing with people wanting to come into this country.

    • Mick says:

      10:59am | 20/01/10

      What is it with Melbourne, according to players & travelling media this happens at no other tournament in the world, maybe it is a Melbourne sporting culture as they always seem to make an issue with race in sport

    • RCM says:

      01:48pm | 20/01/10

      Care to reassess the thrust of this article Leo in the light of
      http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/australian-open-hooligans-may-be-on-bail-over-murder-charge/story-fn3dxity-1225821568168

      “A really pathetic expression of half-baked nationalism from suburban mamma’s boys at the tennis.”

      —A JUDGE is concerned up to two men facing murder charges may have been involved in a gang who marred the first day of the Australian Open.

      “Yes the tennis. Not a bad-ass crowd sport like European soccer matches where iron bars and pocket knives are common accoutrements among fans.”

      -Justice Betty King said the matter was concerning.
      -It’s a little bit concerning when they’re on bail for such serious offences,-she said.

      “No it’s the tennis fellas, where all you’ve managed to do is scare old Aunty Pat and Uncle Frank visiting from Newcastle, confuse the international media and royally piss-off the nation’s largest selling newspaper by punching one of its photographers.”

      -Eight men, including one minor from Melbourne’s western suburbs, will face trial in the same court later this year charged with murder. Another man pleaded guilty to murder and will face a pre-sentence hearing in March.

       

       

      No it’s the tennis fellas, where all you’ve managed to do is scare old Aunty Pat and Uncle Frank visiting from Newcastle, confuse the international media and royally piss-off the nation’s largest selling newspaper by punching one of its photographers.

      What next? Croatian fans head to the ballroom dancing to prove once and for all they “own da floor”?

    • Phillip says:

      04:06pm | 20/01/10

      Parents are to blame, they brought and taught hate to theie children; only to bring shame to their adopted country

    • Matthew says:

      04:07pm | 20/01/10

      Let’s be honest.  We have a number of disciplinary problems in Victoria, and the problem is the lack of it.  You can do pretty much anything in this state, and a) you won’t ‘face the music’ until months, if not at least a year after the incident and b) you are most likely to be treated with kid gloves when you do.  The answer is 0 tolerance.  Make it so that if you act up, you pay a price, and not $$$, but actual, tangible consequences.

      Let’s drop the racist talk.  Australia is not racist.  A country that accepts all and sundry and allows them to practice what they want is not racist.  A person who migrates to a country with no intention of integrating is a racist.  A country that doesn’t accept all people is racist.  Australia is not racist.  Being able to question immigrants, their motives and their actions is not racist.

 

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