https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 4zrvq.htmlPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared there is a "real concern about Sudanese gangs" in Melbourne, as he described how colleagues have backed claims that residents are scared to go out to dinner due to street crime.
His comments have been described as disheartening by local African community leader, Ahmed Hassan. Mr Hassan today implored the government not to use the South Sudanese community as a political football - and said it expected better from the Prime Minister.
Responding to research by Victoria’s Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission - which linked a spike in racist incidents to the federal government's language around race and crime - the Prime Minister said the connection was "nonsense".
"We have zero tolerance for racism, number one, and number two, this is Australia, the most successful multicultural society in the world, it's one of our greatest assets and achievements," he told Neil Mitchell on radio station 3AW.
It comes months after Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's controversial comments that Melbourne residents were scared to go out to restaurants because African gangs were roaming the streets.
"Do you believe people in Melbourne are scared to go to restaurants because of Sudanese gangs?" Mitchell asked Mr Turnbull on Tuesday morning.
"Well I've heard that from people in Melbourne," Mr Turnbull responded. "I have heard people, colleagues from Melbourne, say that there is a real anxiety about crime in Melbourne. It's a real issue.
"I've heard those reports, there is certainly concern about street crime in Melbourne, there is certainly concern about the state government's failure to uphold the rule of law in the streets of Melbourne."
Federal and state leaders of the Liberal Party have been criticised for their "unhelpful" singling out of Sudanese communities in Victoria.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared there is a "real concern about Sudanese gangs" in Melbourne, as he described how colleagues have backed claims that residents are scared to go out to dinner due to street crime.
His comments have been described as disheartening by local African community leader, Ahmed Hassan. Mr Hassan today implored the government not to use the South Sudanese community as a political football - and said it expected better from the Prime Minister.
Responding to research by Victoria’s Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission - which linked a spike in racist incidents to the federal government's language around race and crime - the Prime Minister said the connection was "nonsense".
"We have zero tolerance for racism, number one, and number two, this is Australia, the most successful multicultural society in the world, it's one of our greatest assets and achievements," he told Neil Mitchell on radio station 3AW.
It comes months after Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's controversial comments that Melbourne residents were scared to go out to restaurants because African gangs were roaming the streets.
"Do you believe people in Melbourne are scared to go to restaurants because of Sudanese gangs?" Mitchell asked Mr Turnbull on Tuesday morning.
"Well I've heard that from people in Melbourne," Mr Turnbull responded. "I have heard people, colleagues from Melbourne, say that there is a real anxiety about crime in Melbourne. It's a real issue.
"I've heard those reports, there is certainly concern about street crime in Melbourne, there is certainly concern about the state government's failure to uphold the rule of law in the streets of Melbourne."
"There is certainly concern about street crime in Melbourne," Mr Turnbull told 3AW on Tuesday.
In an opinion piece published by Fairfax Media on Sunday, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton called for "real leadership" from Canberra after the commission's research linked the response by federal politicians to a rise in racist incidents.
"The Commission believes that Canberra's inflammatory statements on race and crime – the so-called #AfricanGangs crisis - have caused real harm in Victoria. And we are calling for better federal leadership this election year," she wrote.
"The problems began in early January when a federal minister - a concerned Queenslander – said that Melburnians were scared to go out to restaurants because of Sudanese gangs roaming the streets."
On Tuesday morning, Mr Turnbull dismissed criticism of Mr Dutton.
"Peter Dutton is simply seeking to do the best job as Minister for Home Affairs... There is real concern about Sudanese gangs. You'd have to be walking around with your hands over your ears in Melbourne not to hear that."
Later, at a press conference, Mr Turnbull said: "There are Sudanese gangs in Melbourne and it is an issue.
"No-one is making any reflections about Sudanese immigrants, or Sudanese in general. I've spoken about the enormous achievements of Sudanese migration to Australia in every respect, on the sporting field and academia, including in my own hometown of Sydney," he said.
"The fact is there is a gang issue here and you are not going to make it go away by pretending it doesn’t exist. At some point you have to be fair dinkum and you have to acknowledge that there is a concern."
Mr Hassan, a director of outreach group Youth Activating Youth, said he was disheartened to hear the comments.
"It is a shame to see the highest levels of government using any community as political football but in particular the South Sudanese who have been at the receiving end of some bad politics," he said.
"We should ensure we work with them to help their young people and help the community grow and not to continue to point the finger at them where a few young people have strayed."
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However, Shadow Attorney-General John Pesutto said he believed there were parts of Melbourne where residents were living in fear.
"I'm absolutely convinced there are people in Melbourne and particular hot spots in Melbourne where people do feel fearful about going out. In places such as western Melbourne, there are pockets where they have been hit really hard by violent crime," he told 3AW.
He said the crime problem was not just about offenders of Sudanese background.
"We are concerned in the Liberal National party about crime, irrespective of someone's background, and this is why I'm rather annoyed, I thought the intervention by the Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission was an appalling, partisan intervention in this debate," he said.
"The Commission and some other agencies are quick to lay the boots into Liberal politicians when we are standing up for victims of crime and community safety when there is a problem and we will not back down from that."
It comes as Channel 7 was accused of fear-mongering in its crime reporting last week after a segment on Sunday Night that investigated "African gangs", prompting some in the African-Australian community to plan a protest outside the Seven News Melbourne to "demand answers, justice, an apology and most of all, for our voices to be heard"
If it is a white gang that's what is said (Caucasian blah blah) but if it's an ethnic gang terrorising people we are not allowed to say so or else we are branded as racist. Makes sense right?
It doesn't mean that ALL Sudanese people are terrifying people with violence but it does mean that whoever is perpetrating the violence needs to be reined in and stopped. No matter what damned colour they are.
The Human Rights Commission needs to be shut down. All they do is divide communities, incite hate and stir up trouble in communities. Sudanese, Lebanese, Australian or whatever! A gang is a gang and should not be pandered to.
