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Sam Kerr’s alleged comments may have had a racial element, but they were not ‘racist’

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mario-peucker-192086">Mario Peucker</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/victoria-university-1175">Victoria University</a> Footballer Sam Kerr has been charged with “racially aggravated harassment” over a January 2023 incident in which she allegedly insulted a London police officer. According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/06/sam-kerr-allegedly-called-police-officer-a-stupid-white-bastard-source-says">widespread media reports</a>, she is said to have called the officer a “stupid white bastard”. Kerr has pleaded not guilty to the charge and has <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/sam-kerr-legal-team-reportedly-challenge-allegations-of-police-harassment/744598ef-75f9-4e03-acb5-7b37aecde8d1">reportedly denied</a> using the word “bastard”. According to section 33 of the British Crime and Disorder Act, to be found guilty of such an offence, the conduct would have had to cause – or have intended to cause – alarm or distress. Regardless of the court’s ultimate verdict, one big question seems to occupy the minds of many: does the phrase attributed to Kerr constitute racism? Kerr was born in Western Australia, and has Indian ancestry on her father’s side. Can she be racist towards a white person, and more specifically to a white police officer? Assuming it is true Kerr used the term “white”, there is a racial element. But “racial” is not the same as “racist”. <h2>Definitions of racism</h2> It is important to note here that “race” is not a biological category (there is only one human race). Race is a <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race-is-a-social-construct-scientists-argue/">social construct</a>, invented and cemented centuries ago to legitimise colonial atrocities, oppression and forms of subjugation including slavery. There are many definitions of racism, but there has been a broad consensus for decades that racism is more than “just” prejudice and discriminatory behaviour. It is not simply a matter of less favourable treatment of an individual or group of people based on their actual or ascribed ethnic background, skin colour, origin or related characteristics. Racism also reflects and manifests as systemic exclusion and marginalisation based on historically rooted power imbalances and racial hierarchies that put white people at the top. To put it very simply, the scholarly (if not the legal) definition is that “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-07453-002">racism equals power plus prejudice</a>”. In a vicious cycle, everyday racism and discrimination are shaped and justified by racial hierarchies, while they operate continuously in a way that cements power imbalances and racial marginalisation. This may sound a bit abstract, but if we do not recognise this power dynamic, we trivialise racism as little more than name-calling. We will fail to understand how racism operates and how it continues to affect people from racially marginalised groups in their daily lives. One way to illustrate the systemic nature of racism is to look at the persistent lack of representation of people of colour in leadership positions in the corporate sector, the media and governments in Australia and elsewhere. In the United Kingdom, where the alleged incident occurred, institutional racism – including within the police force – has been recognised since the release of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-stephen-lawrence-inquiry">Macpherson report</a> in 1999. It was reaffirmed in 2023 by the <a href="https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/met/about-us/baroness-casey-review/update-march-2023/baroness-casey-review-march-2023a.pdf">Baroness Casey Review</a>, despite some political pushback. The review found “Met officers are 82% White and 71% male, and the majority do not live in the city they police. As such, the Met does not look like the majority of Londoners.” <h2>Reverse racism?</h2> Anti-discrimination legislation in the UK and Australia usually does not speak explicitly of “racism”. It outlaws certain acts that are motivated, partially or wholly, by a person’s race (or other personal identity markers). Legislators introduced these laws with the intention of enhancing the legal protections for those who were considered vulnerable to racism. In Australia, for example, the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00274/latest/text">Racial Discrimination Act</a> (1975) is often celebrated as a legal cornerstone in the country’s journey away from its racist “White Australia” history towards a modern multicultural society. The United Nations’ <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-convention-elimination-all-forms-racial">International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination</a> (1965), ratified by Australia in 1975 and the UK in 1969, makes its intention explicit when it calls on all state parties to make it an offence to disseminate “ideas based on racial superiority”. The issue of power structures should also be seen through an institutional lens. It is difficult to imagine a person on the streets of London with more institutional power than a white police officer. Being called a “stupid bastard” might hurt someone’s feelings. But while I’m in no position to judge whether Sam Kerr’s alleged actions have caused “distress” to the officer – as the law would require – labelling the incident as racist is clearly not in line with what racism means. Such a definition would not align with the concept’s institutional and systemic dimensions. It is not what anti-discrimination laws were intended to outlaw. Claims of anti-white or “reverse” racism are based on a shallow, misguided and inaccurate understanding of what racism really constitutes. If Kerr’s court case fails to acknowledge the deeper purpose of anti-racism legislation by equating “racial” with “racist”, it risks setting a highly problematic precedent that would undermine efforts to acknowledge and tackle racism in all its forms. What would be the message to those millions of people in the UK, Australia and elsewhere who have to face racism every day without recognition of the harm it causes and without the support and capacity to sue the perpetrators? What would they think about their right to equality and their place in society?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225267/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mario-peucker-192086">Mario Peucker</a>, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/victoria-university-1175">Victoria University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sam-kerrs-alleged-comments-may-have-had-a-racial-element-but-they-were-not-racist-225267">original article</a>.

Legal

Sam Kerr's alleged racial comments revealed by UK paper

The legal controversy surrounding Matildas star Sam Kerr following allegations of racially charged remarks directed towards a police officer in London continues to unfold, after a UK newspaper published those alleged remarks. According to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/26401266/sam-kerr-football-charge-crime-police-fifa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a>, Kerr allegedly called a police officer a "stupid white bastard" during a dispute over a taxi fare. The details emerged as Kerr faced charges for using insulting, threatening or abusive words towards the officer, causing alarm or distress. The seriousness of the allegations is underscored by the potential consequences, with Kerr facing a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment if convicted. The incident is said to have taken place in January 2023 shortly after Kerr's remarkable performance in a Chelsea FA Cup victory, and Kerr has maintained her innocence, pleading not guilty to the charges brought against her. The delayed prosecution in Kerr's case has sparked speculation, with reports suggesting that determining the appropriate charge was a complex process for the Crown Prosecution Service. However, as the trial approaches, the focus shifts towards the legal proceedings and the evidence that will be presented in court. Throughout her career, Kerr has been a prominent figure in the fight against racism in sport. Her past actions, including posing with an Aboriginal flag alongside her Matildas teammates, reflect a commitment to promoting inclusivity and unity. Kerr's accolades both on and off the field have solidified her iconic status, making the allegations against her all the more surprising. In response to the controversy, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson and Football Australia CEO James Johnson expressed their lack of prior knowledge regarding the incident. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to comment directly on the matter, but said that Kerr's actions during her tenure as the national flag bearer exemplified pride and dignity. “I don’t comment on legal matters before Australian courts, let alone other ones,” Albanese said. “I will say this about my contact with Sam Kerr, she was our flag bearer at the coronation. My contact with her was exemplary. She did Australia proud at that time and I think that my contact with her has been nothing but delightful.” Images: Getty

Legal

Kamahl demands apology over racial tweet

Singer Kamahl has demanded that radio host Philip Adams issue him a public apology over the racial tweet he made in December where Adams dubbed Kamahl an “honorary white” over his relationship with the late cricketer Donald Bradman. Adams claims to have contacted Kamahl, who says he has been “humiliated” by the incident, but the Malaysian-born singer claims the apology never made it to him. “My understanding is that Mr Adams has written to Kamahl apologising for that,” ABC boss David Anderson said of the situation. “Privately written to him, apologising for that.” As reported by The Australian, Kamahl had plenty to say in response to Anderson. “I resent the fact that you have used the incident on public record as a defence of how you and your management have effectively dealt with this issue,” he wrote. “You stated on the public record that Adams had in fact reached out to me to apologise personally for his highly inappropriate comment. “Mr Anderson, let me clarify, the only action that Adams has taken to date in dealing with this issue is to block me on Twitter and double down on his initial slur in which he referred to me as an ‘honorary white’.” “Bradman refused to meet Mandela?” Adams posted in a now deleted tweet. “Why do you think Sir Donald Bradman refused to meet Mandela?” Kamahl responded. “Why do you think the greatest ever 'spotsman' welcomed me at his home from August 1988 every year, till he left us in 2001?” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Why do you think Sir Donald Bradman refused to meet Mandela ? Why do you think the greatest ever 'spotsman' welcomed me at his home from August 1988 every year, till he left us in 2001? He also left me letters he wrote every year. Why Phillip ?<a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialKamahl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OfficialKamahl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillipAdams_1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhillipAdams_1</a> — Kamahl AM (@OfficialKamahl) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialKamahl/status/1607369967628095489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2022</a></blockquote> “Clearly, Kamahl, he made you an Honorary White. Whereas one of the most towering political figures of the 20th century was deemed unworthy of Bradman's approval," Adams fired back. Kamahl went on to tell Adams that responded he “may be white, but oh your soul is black!” The term ‘honorary white’ is said to have originated during South Africa’s Apartheid regime in the 1960s to grant the rights and the privileges of white people to those who would otherwise be considered ‘non-white’ at the time. Many share Kamahl’s belief that Adams’ apology should be as public as his initial words. As reporter Peter Ford said on 6PR Breakfast, “you get the feeling that they told him to write this apology and send it to get him off our backs and it’d all go away, and I don’t think that’s good enough.” Kamahl and his followers have been vocal on Twitter about his desire for an appropriate apology, and the impact of Adams’ words, but only time will tell if Adams is to step up and offer one. Images: Twitter

News

"We are a better country than that": PM condemns "racially motivated" killing

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following story contains images of deceased persons. The heartbroken mother of Cassius Turvey has thanked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for condemning the racially motivated brutal murder of her son. The 15-year-old year 9 student was walking home from school in Middle Swan, Perth when he was allegedly viciously attacked by a metal pole by a 21-year-old Jack Steven James Brearley. His head injuries were so severe and Cassius was placed in an induced coma after suffering two strokes and a brain bleed. Unfortunately, Cassius could not pull through from his horrific injuries and passed away on October 23. Mr Albanese condemned the attack and said Australia can do better. “This attack that, clearly, is racially motivated just breaks your heart,” he said. “We are a better country than that, and my heart goes out to the family and the friends.” Cassius’ mother Mechelle Turvey thanked Mr Albanese for his comments and said “it’s the words the country has been waiting for”. "They're just words but they mean so much to us," she said. "It's like you're on the same page as our hearts." Rallies were held across major cities in Australia and even Los Angeles as they called for justice for Cassius. "He's not just my loss, he's everyone's loss, even people that didn't know him," Michelle continued. "This is the worst thing to happen but this is just amazing, it's just bringing the community together. "This is black and white, you can see the diversity of people here." Jack Steven James Brearley, 21, has been charged with his murder and is due to face a Perth court next month. Images: Nine

News

“I’ve tasted the faintest bitter edge of racism”: Ash Barty admits to being racially abused

Ash Barty has confessed that she’s been on the receiving end of “bitter racism” after finding out about her Indigenous heritage. In her autobiography, My Dream Time, which will be published on November 2, Barty opens up about the moment she found out about her family’s past. The former tennis player said it was a difficult moment when her father searched for the truth and eventually told Barty and her sister which then led to “vile racism”. “I’ve seen glimpses and tasted the faintest bitter edge of racism” she wrote. “I’d win a Deadly Award but get vilified on line. I’d become a Tennis Australia First Nations Ambassador and then find some muppet calling my heritage into question.” The three-time Grand Slam winner said there was still a lot of work and educated needed to address the importance of Indigenous Australians. “There was no need for us to talk about that in the moment but it was certainly something that confused me a little bit as to why someone would criticise something that is so personal to me,” she told NewsCorp. “Looking back now it’s all about the education and giving people the tools to understand others and appreciate what came before us.” Barty went on to reveal that her trip to Central Australia where she worked with First Nations children was when she was convinced of a connection with them. “If anything it has just reassured to me that the path I want to go down in the future is to try and help First Nations youth around the country.” Eventually, Barty found out of her Indigenous heritage when her father Rob traced back his roots. At 13 he was told by a cousin that there was Indigenous heritage in the family but his parents denied it, claiming their connection was only to Māoris in New Zealand. Rob did not accept that and went on to trace back his family history where he found out that his great grandmother was an Indigenous Australian who married a white man. Barty’s dad sat her and her sister down when she was just seven and told them the truth. The family then went on to record their names with the Ngarigu Nation. “It was not a conversation his parents could have with him,” she wrote. “To his parents, Aboriginal ancestry was something to be ashamed of and not something he should be curious about.” Images: Instagram

Family & Pets

New York Times under fire over "shameful" obituary of Jack Charles

The New York Times has come under fire for their "shameful" obituary of Aboriginal actor Jack Charles. The publication's tribute to the late actor, who died of a stroke on September 13th at age 79, portrayed his life of drugs and crime rather than his long list of achievements in the arts. Furious social media users claimed the post, which has since been removed, was offensive and an example of "racial profiling". The NYT's Twitter post about Jack Charles' death said he "was one of Australia's leading Indigenous actors, but his heroin addiction and penchant for burglary landed him in and out of jail throughout his life". The outrage was widespread online, with one person writing, "No, we are not doing this. He was a leading actor and activist. This isn't presenting a complex person, it's straight up racial profiling." Another said, "Wow. This is … one of the worst ways I've seen his story told. Shame on you." "How to say 'we're a tone deaf racist publication" without saying "we're a tone deaf racist publication'," commented a third. The original post was later deleted and replaced with a tweet remembering Charles as "one of Australia's leading Indigenous actors and activists", and as "the grandfather of Aboriginal theatre". Jack Charles' family announced his death in a statement, saying, "He will live on in our hearts and memories through his numerous screen and stage roles". The Indigenous icon was names NAIDOC male Elder of the year just months before his death. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took to Twitter to say, "Jack Charles lived a hard life and he leaves a joyous legacy. He endured cruelty, he knew pain." "He survived every turn of the vicious cycle, holding on to his humanity. Jack Charles uplifted our nation with his heart, his genius, his creativity and passion." Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

"Anger resonates through me": AFL rocked by accusations of historical racial abuse

Warning: This article contains distressing content which some readers may find confronting. A damning report has exposed alleged racism, bullying and abuse within the Hawthorn AFL club, with several players coming forward and sharing their devastating stories of trauma during their time as part of the team. In the report conducted by <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-21/alastair-clarkson-and-chris-fagan-named-in-hawks-review/101452320" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC Sport</a>, coaches Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan were named among a group of AFL leaders for allegedly encouraging an Indigenous player to convince his partner to terminate their pregnancy and then split from her, for the sake of the player's career. The report initially began as an investigation into the club's treatment of Indigenous players, and quickly unearthed a much greater issue within the club. An unidentified player, who was allegedly told to encourage his partner to terminate a pregnancy, claimed it was Clarkson who “leaned over me and demanded that I needed to get rid of my unborn child and my partner”. “I was then manipulated and convinced to remove my SIM card from my phone, so there was no further contact between my family and me,” the footballer told the ABC. “He told me to kill my unborn kid.” The player was then allegedly moved from his home, which he shared with his partner and child, prompting a series of suicide attempts from the player. “They broke me as a man, a footballer and as a family man,” he told the ABC. In a similar instance, another player was allegedly forced to live away from his partner and newborn child for months at a time, which triggered a "mental health crisis" for the recent draftee, who also attempted suicide five times. A third player also came forward against the club, saying Clarkson and Fagan allegedly came to his house at night to relocate him from his pregnant partner, whom he was then unable to contact. When his partner unfortunately miscarried weeks later, he was informed by the coaches at a training session “in a ‘by the way’ kind of comment”. Following the publishing of the damning report, Hawthorn responded to the allegations in a lengthy statement. “The club places the best interests and welfare of our players and staff as our number one priority," the statement read. It went on to say further investigation is required into the historical allegations, and further First Nations training and development programs "should be strengthened". “Given the matters raised are confidential, the club will not provide any further comment at this time,” the statement concludes. The AFL also released a statement, declaring the re-investigation of the claims. “The AFL is committed to providing a safe, welcoming and culturally appropriate environment for all players and staff throughout the industry, ensuring that physical, mental and emotional welfare is a key priority for all in our sport,” it said. “The experiences outlined in the document are extremely serious and require further and full examination." “We are committed to the welfare of all involved. Once we have spoken to those who have shared their experiences, we will be able to provide an update on the next steps in the investigation.” After hearing the findings of the report, sports commentators around Australia chimed in, with Indigenous football media personality Shelley Ware writing “anger resonates through me”. “I will be watching for what happens next for Clarkson, Fagan and Burt closely as I have my wishes,” she posted in a comment online. Australian journalist Alan Sunderland wrote, “The ramifications of this story can and should go far beyond just Hawthorn", while The ABC’s Penny Timms wrote, “This is beyond horrific. Action must be taken against those responsible”. Image credits: Getty Images

News

George Floyd deserved a better life

George Perry Floyd, Jr. was murdered when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin sank his knee into Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. Video footage went viral within hours, helping to inspire protests against racism and police violence that lasted all the American summer of 2020. But while the size of the protests was unprecedented, the activism of that summer had <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fury-in-us-cities-is-rooted-in-a-long-history-of-racist-policing-violence-and-inequality-139752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deep roots</a>. Journalists across the United States and indeed the world, focused attention on that history of protest, as they had done during the 2014 police killings of Eric Garner, choked to death in New York, and Michael Brown, shot in Ferguson, Missouri. At the Washington Post, reporters and researchers devoted significant resources to a six-part series, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10/12/george-floyd-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Floyd’s America</a>. Now, two of those journalists, Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, have expanded the work into a book: <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/703358/his-name-is-george-floyd-by-robert-samuels-and-toluse-olorunnipa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice</a>. When Floyd was born in 1973, 200,000 people were incarcerated in the US. By the time of his death, as Samuels and Olorunnipa point out, that number exceeded 2 million. The proportionate rate of growth of that number in <a href="https://usafacts.org/data/topics/security-safety/crime-and-justice/jail-and-prisons/prisoners/?utm_source=usnews&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=fellowship&utm_content=bracketed_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas</a>, where Floyd grew up, is even worse. <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2021-10-13/report-highlights-staggering-racial-disparities-in-us-incarceration-rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African Americans are locked up at 4.75 times the rate of white Americans; Latinos at 1.3 times the rate</a>. This <a href="https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/intl-rates.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extraordinary rate of incarceration</a> is a political choice rather than a reflection of more violent criminals being locked up. Rates of incarceration <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=ED19CF648065ABC51FE1605ED5D77E32?doi=10.1.1.462.6544&rep=rep1&type=pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase</a> with political conservatism and the increased rates of poverty, income inequality and unemployment that accompany that conservatism. Extensive investment in prisons, jails and police forces has created a self-perpetuating system that evolves by producing the very criminals it locks up. This life-and-times biography poignantly depicts the mechanisms by which African Americans, especially male children and adults, become disproportionately the fodder for that system. A long history of racism, it might be said, funnelled George Floyd to prison. <h2>The grandson of sharecroppers</h2> Floyd’s two parents were both born to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharecroppers</a> in North Carolina. The cycle of poverty in which they were trapped was not of their own making. Black Americans have been prevented from building wealth from the moment slavery ended. Floyd’s great-great-grandfather, for example, who was born into slavery in 1857, amassed land worth $US30,000 in 1920, but his white neighbours stole it from him by a mixture of fraud underpinned by the threat of violence. That tale is absolutely typical for a majority of Black families in the US South. The knock-on effects have been intensified by government policies that meant for generations, Black Americans had <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-see-the-legacy-of-slavery-look-at-present-day-school-systems-43896" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fewer opportunities for education</a>; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/opinion/sunday/race-wage-gap.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earned</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/06/04/economic-divide-black-households/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less</a> even for the same work; and were <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/17/1049052531/racial-covenants-housing-discrimination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prevented</a> <a href="https://aas.princeton.edu/news/2020-pulitzer-prize-finalist-history-race-profit-how-banks-and-real-estate-industry-undermined" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from buying property</a> that would <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/12/4/20953282/racism-housing-discrimination-keeanga-yamahtta-taylor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">build wealth over generations</a>. Desperate for a better life for her three children, Floyd’s mother uprooted them to Houston, Texas, when Floyd was four. There, they lived in public housing in the segregated <a href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2020/07/20/george-floyds-third-ward-reflections-on-the-neighborhood-made-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Third Ward</a>. Government policies that requisitioned homes from Black residents elsewhere in Houston had forced them into this section of the city. In the Cuney Homes development, known as “the Bricks,” even today the median income is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/george-floyd-neighborhood-stimulus/2021/04/09/59f57e7c-9623-11eb-962b-78c1d8228819_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US$15,538</a>, well under half the <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national average</a>. Floyd attended the local Jack Yates Senior High School, opened in 1926 when education was segregated by race and never the equal of other Houston schools catering to white children. As Floyd grew to 193 centimetres tall, he learned to offset the alarm that his size and colour induced in people. He became self-deprecating and deliberately easy-going, charming people across generations everywhere he went. Excelling at football, he secured entry to college. But Floyd’s dreams of playing pro football were stymied by his academic achievements. Never good at tests, Floyd fell behind by middle school and struggled to graduate high school. There were just not the resources in the schools to make up for living in poverty in an overcrowded flat with the responsibilities of caring for relatives. After four years at two colleges, Floyd dropped out and returned to Houston. Not long after, he was arrested for the first time for selling drugs. Samuels and Olorunnipa do an extremely good job of showing that at every node along the passage toward being turned into fodder for the prison-industrial complex, Floyd’s chance of escape was significantly less than that of a white man of the same age. Reading how Floyd’s options narrowed, it was impossible not to share his frustration and despair. <h2>Forensic exposé of injustice</h2> Quotas for arrests meant police sought the “low-hanging fruit” of petty drug dealing done on the streets. Misconduct charges for these police officers are common: the cop who arrested Floyd in 1997 for selling drugs was sacked in 2002 after being charged with theft and hampering arrest. The officer who arrested Floyd in 2004 was “later accused of falsifying charges in hundreds of drug cases, including the one involving Floyd.” Chauvin himself had faced <a href="http://complaints.cuapb.org/police_archive/officer/2377/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">29 charges</a> of misconduct and internal investigations prior to murdering Floyd. (Only 18 appear on the city’s police internal affairs records.) But because <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-policing-reforms-george-floyds-murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records of “decertification” are patchy</a>, such “wandering” officers can often get themselves <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/wandering-cops-moving-from-department-to-department-is-a-roadblock-to-police-accountability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rehired</a>. The officers can stay unaccountable by targeting impoverished men who, unable to afford lawyers, are more likely to accept plea deals. Floyd was never tried by jury; he rather accepted eight plea deals. He knew that even if he got to court, the decision was unlikely to be positive because the state of Texas does not provide public defenders. Rather, the court pays for a private lawyer to defend those who can’t afford their own representation. Judges in Harris County, where Houston is located, more often than not will appoint lawyers who had donated to their election campaigns. In 2007, police arrested Floyd for a violent assault on evidence provided by a dubious photo ID process. (It has since been improved.) Facing up to 40 years of prison, a reluctant Floyd accepted a plea deal for five. Claustrophobia made Floyd’s time in prison difficult, and yet he discovered that none of the mental health, drug addiction, or education programs included in legislation such as the notorious <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/1994-crime-bill-and-beyond-how-federal-funding-shapes-criminal-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1994 Crime Bill</a>, which sloshed billions of dollars into prison building, were available. As the authors point out, it was only after the <a href="https://www.communitycatalyst.org/blog/how-structural-racism-fuels-the-response-to-the-opioid-crisis#.YtX8puxBxqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opioid crisis</a> hit white communities that such funds were expended. In short, whereas policymakers declared crack cocaine a crime problem, they saw opiate addictions, more commonly associated with white people, as an epidemic or public health emergency. The man responsible for prosecuting the case against Derek Chauvin, Jerry Blackwell, knew well the racism inherent at every level of what we uncritically call “the criminal justice system.” Blackwell anticipated the defence would claim that Floyd’s drug use or some physical anomaly was the reason he had died. He therefore required an independent medical examiner review the coronial findings into Floyd’s death. That person, and the examiner who worked for the Floyd family in the civil case against the city of Minneapolis (which the city settled before trial for a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976785212/minneapolis-agrees-to-pay-27-million-to-family-of-george-floyd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record $US27 million</a>), both questioned whether the autopsy had been conducted correctly. Specifically, they doubted whether the incisions made on Floyd’s body were sufficient to ascertain the cause of death. And, indeed, the defence claimed that Floyd’s drug use and a supposedly enlarged heart had contributed to his death. This was not unique; as the authors report, in 2021 researchers found evidence that medical examiners “had misclassified or covered up nearly 17,000 deaths that involved police between 1980 and 2018”. All this detail might make the book sound dull, but the research is woven lightly through the account of Floyd’s life so as to maintain momentum. We learn too about Floyd’s family, friends, girlfriends, and his young daughter Gianna. The authors bring to life Floyd’s ability to take people as he found them, underpinned by a deep Christian faith in God. <h2>Activism</h2> The final third of the book, which focuses on events after Floyd’s death, is also gripping. Even as we know the outcome, the twists and turns in the criminal case against Chauvin make for heart-in-the-mouth reading. Chauvin was <a href="https://theconversation.com/relief-at-derek-chauvin-conviction-a-sign-of-long-history-of-police-brutality-159212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted of murder and manslaughter</a> and is serving a 22-and-a-half year sentence. And in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/07/derek-chauvin-sentenced-violating-george-floyd-civil-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early July</a> a federal judge sentenced Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights – the sentence will be served concurrently.) Even more striking is the depiction of the bravery of protestors in Minneapolis and of Floyd’s family members, especially his brother, Philonise Floyd, as they seized an opportunity they never wanted – as spokespeople for justice. Joined by the civil rights veterans, the Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, Philonise campaigned hard for federal legislation to reform policing. Republican opposition to the hardest-hitting sections of the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1280" target="_blank" rel="noopener">George Floyd Justice in Policing Act</a>, introduced to Congress in February 2021 by Rep. Karen Bass, meant the bill foundered – and has still not been passed. Unlike all the earlier sections of the book, the activism around police and legislative reform is not given quite the context it deserves. Although Samuels and Olorunnipa interviewed 400 people for their book, activists who have long campaigned against police brutality and for the <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/2426-the-end-of-policing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismantling</a> of the entire criminal justice system in favour of a society built on <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-prison-abolition-movement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">equal distribution of resources</a>, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVjMNMG6Mxo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angela Davis</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/magazine/prison-abolition-ruth-wilson-gilmore.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ruthie Wilson Gilmore</a>, do not appear. Nor is there much comment on the <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-policing-reforms-george-floyds-murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efficacy of prior efforts</a> to reform the criminal justice system via legislation. Banning choke-holds, for instance, will not end police murders when Black lives are still not regarded as mattering as much as those of white people. This criticism aside, His Name is George Floyd is a monumental achievement – a work of activism in itself. Bringing Floyd vividly to life, it makes an impassioned and persuasive plea for the dignity and preciousness of life. The book’s cover deliberately evokes the <a href="https://www.torranceartmuseum.com/staffpicks/2021/1/7/i-am-a-man-written-by-hope-ezcurra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posters held aloft during the 1968 workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee</a> (when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed), that proclaimed “I Am a Man.” George Floyd was a man, too, who deserved a better life. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/george-floyd-deserved-a-better-life-a-new-book-charts-his-trajectory-from-poverty-to-the-us-prison-industrial-complex-and-the-impact-of-his-death-182947" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Penguin

Books

Channel Nine presenter racially vilified

Tracy Vo has been the subject of disgusting racial comments while out with her partner for breakfast. The Channel Nine Perth news presenter was enjoying breakfast with her boyfriend Liam Connolly when she was approached by a random lady who then attacked her racially. She shared the awful experience on Twitter, but said she refused to let the incident put her down after her partner stepped in. “To the lady who reminded us that intolerant and close minded people still exist, sorry for ruining your day,” she wrote. “When you tried to ruin a lovely breakfast I was having with my partner at our local cafe yesterday, you didn’t. “When you labelled my family communists, I laughed it off. “When you tried to convince my partner, who’s of Irish heritage, to ‘not be had by this Asian woman’, he politely asked you to move along. “He was calm and I was smiling…sorry lady, we won’t be had by you.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> To the lady who reminded us that intolerant and close minded people still exist, sorry for ruining your day. When you tried to ruin a lovely breakfast I was having with my partner at our local cafe yesterday, you didn’t. When you labelled my family communists, I laughed it off… — Tracy Vo (@Tracy_Vo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tracy_Vo/status/1551717376806137856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> When you tried to convince my partner, who’s of Irish heritage, to “not be had by this Asian woman,” he politely asked you to move along. He was calm and I was smiling… sorry lady, we won’t be had by you ☺️ — Tracy Vo (@Tracy_Vo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tracy_Vo/status/1551717534914605056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote> Tracy received a lot of support for her stance with many apologising that she had to go through that. “I'm so sorry this happened to you TVo. Absolutely vile,” her fellow Channel Nine colleague Natalia Cooper wrote. “Can’t believe this s*** still happens. You are a star for remaining so calm my babes. More class than anyone! Sending you love,” Channel Nine Perth weather presenter Scherri-Lee Biggs commented. “I am so sorry this happened. It really shouldn't in this day and age, but there's no knowing what people have been subjected to in their own lives to make them think this way. Love your positive attitude,” another commented. “Good on you for keeping calm! Stay strong!” someone else wrote. Images: Instagram

Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ casts Canada as a racial utopia

When Hulu’s series The Handmaid’s Tale premiered in 2017, reviewers noted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/arts/television/review-the-handmaids-tale-creates-a-chilling-mans-world.html">its gripping drama and dystopian exploration</a> of rape culture and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/26/the-handmaids-tale-year-trump-misogyny-metoo">misogyny at a time when both were hallmarks of Donald Trump’s presidency</a>. The series is adapted from Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel. It has won numerous awards and was recently renewed for <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a35130606/handmaids-tale-season-5-news-date-cast-spoilers-trailer/">a fifth season</a>. But some commentators, including writer Ellen E. Jones, have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/31/the-handmaids-tales-race-problem">criticized the series for its use of colour-blind casting that created inclusivity but otherwise ignored race in storylines</a>. Others, including Noah Berlatsky, have analyzed how both the series and novel <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/15/15808530/handmaids-tale-hulu-margaret-atwood-black-history-racial-erasure">erase Black people’s history</a>. Our research examines representations of <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/R/Race-in-Young-Adult-Speculative-Fiction">race in speculative fiction</a> and of <a href="https://www.mqup.ca/reading-between-the-borderlines-products-9780773555136.php">Canada in U.S. literature</a>, leading us to notice how Hulu’s series represents race and national difference. The show positions Canada as a morally superior nation that has rejected the dystopian society’s repressive and exclusionist thinking. This is especially apparent in Season 4’s focus on characters’ escape to Canada, a theme that references older abolitionist narratives. In so doing, the show obscures Canada’s history of slavery, colonialism and racism. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/81PyH5TH-NQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <h2>Atwood’s dystopian world</h2> Both the novel and show draw on U.S. history to imagine a dystopian world facing an unexplained fertility crisis. Gilead, a <a href="https://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-how-she-came-to-write-the-handmaids-tale">theocratic nation led by religious fundamentalists</a>, has overthrown the U.S. government. Atwood’s female narrator is an <a href="https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA206534450&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00294047&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7Ec0791e64">educated white woman</a> forced to become a “handmaid.” Each month, a commander rapes her in a religious fertility ceremony. Babies born to handmaids are raised by commanders and their wives. The sole purpose of the handmaids is to rebuild Gilead’s population. Writer Priya Nair explains that Atwood’s novel draws on the historical <a href="https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/anti-blackness-handmaids-tale">oppression of Black enslaved women and applies it to fictional white women</a>. For example, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Dark-Horizons-Science-Fiction-and-the-Dystopian-Imagination/Moylan-Baccolini/p/book/9780415966146">handmaids who are disobedient</a> are beaten or hanged. Despite clear parallels to slavery, Atwood only obliquely references slavery when the narrator <a href="https://msmagazine.com/2017/05/02/whats-not-said-handmaids-tale/">explains that the “Children of Ham</a>” have been relocated to the Dakotas. “Children of Ham” is a Biblical phrase that was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/arts/from-noah-s-curse-to-slavery-s-rationale.html">used historically to justify enslaving Africans</a>. Nair also notes that the novel focuses on white women’s oppression, while seemingly ignoring “the historical realities of an American dystopia founded on anti-Black violence.” <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433508/original/file-20211123-26-1jbixok.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A crowd of women, of white, Black and Asian identities, seen in cloaks and bonnets." /> Actors are seen at the filming of Handmaid’s Tale at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., February 2019. (Victoria Pickering/Flickr), <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-NC-ND</a> While the novel relies on historical experiences of Black Americans, its characters are predominantly white, a feature of Gilead that Atwood maintains in the 2019 follow-up The Testaments. As reviewer Danielle Kurtzleben notes, in this second instalment: “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/09/03/755868251/the-testaments-takes-us-back-to-gilead-for-a-fast-paced-female-centered-adventur">Readers hoping to hear more about race in Gilead will be sorely disappointed</a>.” Atwood intentionally framed Gilead as both misogynist and racist: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/15/15808530/handmaids-tale-hulu-margaret-atwood-black-history-racial-erasure">the theocracy is interested only in reproducing white babies and, therefore, only enslaving white women</a>. <h2>Colour-blind casting in Hulu’s adaptation</h2> In adapting the novel, Hulu relied on a diverse cast of actors. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005253/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">White actor Elisabeth Moss</a> plays June and <a href="https://blackbookmag.com/arts-culture/essay-the-handmaids-tale-star-o-t-fagbenle-on-racial-fairness-in-the-entertainment-industry/">Black British actor</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1282966/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">O-T Fagbenle</a> portrays her husband Luke. <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/samira-wiley-on-doing-right-by-her-handmaids-tale-character-her-wife-the-queer-black-community-herself-8732193">Black actor</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4148126/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Samira Wiley</a> was cast as June’s best friend Moira. Actors of colour portray characters of all class positions in Gilead’s society. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433506/original/file-20211123-25-401rkr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="A Black woman dressed glamorously in red lipstick is seen arriving at an event in front of a Hulu / Handmaid's Tale sign." /> Samira Wiley, who plays Moira, arrives for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ FYC Phase 2 Event in August 2017 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Shutterstock) <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0588005/">Executive producer Bruce Miller</a> acknowledges that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/31/the-handmaids-tales-race-problem">he cast actors of colour</a> in many roles to avoid creating an all-white world, which would result in a racist TV show. The show doesn’t address race, he explained, because: “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jul/31/the-handmaids-tales-race-problem">It just felt like in a world where birth rates have fallen so precipitously, fertility would trump everything</a>.” The show then relies on colour-blind casting and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/06/16/the-handmaids-tale-proves-that-colorblind-casting-isnt-enough/">colour-blind storytelling</a>. In Atwood’s novel, Canada is <a href="https://the-handmaids-tale.fandom.com/wiki/Canada">the place to which handmaids escape</a>, fleeing there on the Underground Femaleroad — a term that clearly invokes <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/underground-railroad">the Underground Railroad</a>. In Hulu’s series, handmaids — <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5931656/?ref_=ttep_ep10">including Moira</a> — escape from Gilead to Canada where they find protection and safety, and are able to rebuild their lives. The series draws on older literary traditions that have been integral to maintaining the myth of Canada as free from racism. <h2>Draws on abolitionist narratives</h2> In the 1840s and 1850s, U.S. abolitionist authors intentionally represented Canada as a racial haven. By casting <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/jcs.2020-0025">Canada as morally superior</a>, abolitionists imagined what the U.S. might look like if slavery were abolished. Abolitionist authors like Black songwriter and poet <a href="https://southernspaces.org/2020/white-people-america-1854/">Joshua McCarter Simpson</a> and white novelist <a href="https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/harriet-beecher-stowe/harriet-beecher-stowe-life/">Harriet Beecher Stowe</a> celebrated Canada as a place that resisted racial violence and provided legal protection for Black refugees fleeing U.S. slavery. Some abolitionists sought to capture the nuanced accounts of Black refugees in Canada. Abolitionist editor <a href="https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/drew/drew.html">Benjamin Drew</a> published oral testimonies of Black refugees, including their experiences of racism in Ontario. Others, like Stowe, minimized the difficulties of the lived experiences of Black Canadians, focusing on stories of Black success in Canada. These celebratory narratives dominated representations of Canada in U.S. literature. <h2>Canada as utopia?</h2> <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433513/original/file-20211123-20-1n4hkjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="A group of women in red cloaks and bonnets are seen walking by a cluster of trees outside." /> Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ escape-to-Canada stories draw on historical narratives by abolitionists. (Victoria Pickering/Flickr), <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-NC-ND</a> <a href="https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/chairholders-titulaires/profile-eng.aspx?profileId=4528">Literary scholar Nancy Kang</a> argues these abolitionist stories constructed an “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40033673">allegory of Canadian freedom reigning triumphant over American bondage</a>.” Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale escape-to-Canada stories draw on these historical narratives. The handmaid Emily, portrayed by white actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088127/">Alexis Bledel</a>, escapes Gilead dramatically, entering Canada by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8363118/?ref_=ttep_ep1">wading across a rushing river</a>, nearly losing June’s daughter. Once across, she weeps over the baby, recreating an iconic scene from Stowe’s <a href="http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/uncletom/uthp.html">Uncle Tom’s Cabin</a>, when the enslaved Eliza escapes slave-catchers by fleeing across a river with her child. Later in the episode, an Asian Canadian doctor welcomes Emily to Canada, saying: “You’re safe here.” On some level, Hulu’s use of colour-blind casting, as Berlatsky notes, “addresses the narrative’s debt to African-American history.” But viewers are still watching an adaptation of a novel whose emotional horror is based on imagining violent, racist aspects of U.S. history <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/15/15808530/handmaids-tale-hulu-margaret-atwood-black-history-racial-erasure">as if the atrocities happened to white people</a>. <h2>Myths of Canada</h2> The series avoids Canada’s history of anti-Black racism, slavery and state violence against Black bodies, as detailed by gender studies and Black/African diaspora scholar <a href="https://wgsi.utoronto.ca/person/robyn-maynard/">Robyn Maynard</a> in <a href="https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives">Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present</a>. It also overlooks Canada’s colonial <a href="https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525">violence toward Indigenous peoples</a>. These <a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-shameful-history-of-sterilizing-indigenous-women-107876">forms of violence</a> are intertwined with seeking control over women’s reproductive rights and sexual freedom. The series also overlooks Canada’s history of <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chinese-immigration-act">racist immigration</a> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/auschwitz-jews-not-welcome-in-wartime-canada">and asylum</a> policies. Hulu’s series does explore some of the consequences of patriarchal oppression. But the show’s positioning of Canada as a racial haven obscures <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racism">its history</a> and the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/m_blog/dont-believe-the-hype-canada-is-not-a-nation-of-cultural-tolerance">contemporary reality of racism</a> experienced by BIPOC women and communities in Canada.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/miranda-green-barteet-1254372">Miranda Green-Barteet</a>, Associate Professor, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alyssa-maclean-1261523">Alyssa MacLean</a>, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Writing Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hulus-the-handmaids-tale-casts-canada-as-a-racial-utopia-167766">original article</a>. Image: Hulu

“I am sickened”: Prince William blasts racial abuse

Prince William has received brutal backlash after condemning the racist abuse of England’s Euro 2020 final players. "I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night's match," the royal shared on Monday night from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official Twitter account. "It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable." The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in attendance at the match on Sunday. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, three Black members of England's squad, all received a slurry of racist abuse after they missed their shots during the penalty shoot-out against Italy. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Saka crying breaks my heart man. He's 19, a kid. Most his age are just figuring out what college is. And here is stepping up to take probably most important pen for his country in 50 years. He's already achieved more than most & there's still so much to come. So so proud of him. <a href="https://t.co/IUvBwwsPMq">pic.twitter.com/IUvBwwsPMq</a> — angel (@Angelshi_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Angelshi_/status/1414345218523025408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote> Italy won the shoot-out 3-2. England lost the Euro 2020 final in heartbreaking circumstances in front of their home fans, despite initially taking the lead. However, William’s public call out received an icy response with many questioning why the royal kept silent while his sister-in-law, who is bi-racial, received a flurry of racist abuse while she served in the royal family. “For years #sussexsquad has been told that we are ‘race baiters’ for highlighting the racism against Meghan Markle. Tonight, seeing the abuse hurled at Saka, Rashford and Sancho literally proves what we’ve been saying for years,” one person said. Another added: “Prince William performative ally ship. His words would have legitimate credibility right now if he had condemned racist abuse towards Meghan Markle and Archie. His silence and complicity fuelled what he condemns today.” A third asked: “Were you sickened by the racist abuse aimed at your sister-in-law Meghan Markle for years? What [about] your own blood nephew Archie?” asked a user, amid a sea of other tweets criticising William: “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. But I love it when it’s aimed at my nephew and SIL Meghan Markle (winks),” another tweet said. The official England Football Twitter account tweeted, "We're disgusted that some of our squad — who have given everything for the shirt this summer — have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight's game. We stand with our players." The Football Association — England football's governing body — also released a statement via social media. "The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media," a spokesperson said. "We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible. "We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences. "Social media companies need to step up and take accountability and action to ban abusers from their platforms, gather evidence that can lead to prosecution and support making their platforms free from this type of abhorrent abuse."

News

"Just not fair": Ejected SCG fan denies racial abuse from stands

A cricket fan removed from the SCG on Sunday has spoken out in defence of the actions of fellow spectators. Cricket Australia and NSW Police have launched an investigation into alleged racial abuse from members of the SCG crowd against Indian players on the third and fourth days of the Sydney Test. On Sunday, Cricket Australia vowed to thoroughly investigate allegations of misbehaviour from the crowd, after two days of drama took away the attention from the close contest occurring on the field. The Indian team made an official complaint of racism after day three of the Test, and play was stopped for eight minutes after claims of more alleged abuse on day four. At least seven people from the crowd were asked to leave after Mohammed Siraj alerted teammates, to which the umpire then passed on the message to security and police. The Indian team claimed the crowd once again racially abused Siraj, but one of the men who was ejected has since spoken out to deny all of the allegations. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Witnesses insist there was no racist sledging at the <a href="https://twitter.com/scg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SCG</a> yesterday and claim the accused spectators are the real victims. New video emerging on social media is only adding to the confusion. <a href="https://t.co/VsVpSNpKLZ">https://t.co/VsVpSNpKLZ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7NEWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7NEWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/ryRcYPuCtd">pic.twitter.com/ryRcYPuCtd</a> — 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) <a href="https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney/status/1348535532750401536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2021</a></blockquote> A BCCI source told the Press Trust of India: “Siraj was referred to as ‘Brown Dog’ and ’Big Monkey’,” while The Times of India reported that “Bumrah and Siraj were called monkeys, w**ker and motherf**ker.” But Prateik Kelkar, who was sitting close to the main group of fans that are currently under investigation, says Siraj was not racially abused. “He (Siraj) turned around, flipped them the finger and then walked off to tell the umpire that he was racially abused,” Kelkar told 7NEWS on Monday. “But there wasn’t a single racist word said ... I would’ve said something myself. I’ve experienced racism in Australia.” Kelkar said he was removed from the SCG after trying to defend his fellow spectators to police. “We wanted to speak up because we saw they were getting pulled out and it was just not fair,” he said.

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New video allegedly "proof" racist slur aimed at Indian star at SCG

Cricket chiefs and NSW police have launched an investigation into allegations of racial abuse towards the Indian team from parts of the crowd during the third Test, after six people were ejected and play halted for close to 10 minutes on Sunday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) probe followed Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah allegedly being targeted as they were on the field. Play was paused for the second time on Sunday when Siraj approached the umpire and pointed towards the crowd. The six men were immediately removed from the seats by police. “Siraj was referred to as ‘Brown Dog’ and ’Big Monkey’ both of which are racist slurs. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of on-field umpires. They were constantly abusing Bumrah too,” a BCCI source told the Press Trust of India. The Times of India newspaper said that the fans on Saturday had been drunk. “Bumrah and Siraj were called monkeys, w**ker and motherf**ker by the people almost throughout the time they were fielding,” it claimed. Footage showing the crowd chanting at Siraj has surfaced but it's unclear what was said. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Well this is some proof...... 🙄🙄🙄🙄<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvsAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/racism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#racism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvINDtest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvINDtest</a> <a href="https://t.co/NL47ztRfOZ">pic.twitter.com/NL47ztRfOZ</a> — Rithvik Shetty (@Shetty10Rithvik) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shetty10Rithvik/status/1348271718947717120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2021</a></blockquote> While you can mainly hear people chanting "Siraj", some people claim they can hear racial abuse faintly in the background. According to Cricket Australia (CA) multiple people from the crowd had been questioned before being thrown out by police. “While we await the outcome of the investigation by NSW Police, CA has launched its own inquiry into the matter,” said CA’s head of integrity and security Sean Carroll, calling the episode “regrettable”. India captain Virat Kohli, who is missing the last three Tests of the four-match series for the birth of his first child, tweeted that such racist behaviour was “pathetic”. “Having gone through many incidents of really pathetic things said on the boundary Iines, this is the absolute peak of rowdy behaviour,” Kohli tweeted. “It’s sad to see this happen on the field. “The incident needs to be looked at with absolute urgency and seriousness and strict action against the offenders should set things straight for once.”

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Sam Armytage and Channel 7 to be sued for racial vilification

Channel Seven, Sunrise host Samantha Armytage and commentator Prue MacSween are being sued for racial vilification over a 2018 segment on the breakfast show Sunrise. The decision to take the complaint to the Federal Court was made after discussions at the Australian Human Rights Commission crumbled. The lawsuit was lodged by Susan Moriarty and Associates on behalf of Aboriginal Elder Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor that the show was “abhorrent, vile, and racist”. The court case stems from a discussion in March 2018 where the panel, which included Armytage, MacSween and radio host Ben Davis, suggested a second stolen generation was needed to help Aboriginal children. “Post-Stolen Generation, there’s been a huge move to leave Aboriginal children where they are, even if they’re being neglected in their own families,” Armytage said in the segment. Armytage then claimed that white families are unable to foster Indigenous children, which was an incorrect statement. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1z0N37ItYn0"></iframe></div> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> “Don’t worry about the people who decry and hand-wring and say this will be another Stolen Generation,” MacSween commented. “Just like the first Stolen Generation, where a lot of children were taken because it was for their wellbeing, we need to do it again, perhaps.” MacSween also said that removing Indigeneous children from their families was “a no-brainer” and that there’s a “conspiracy of silence and fabricated PC outlook that it’s better to leave them in this dangerous environment”. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) later announced the segment breached the TV code of practice as it “provoked serious contempt on the basis of race”. The lawsuit also outined that Channel 7 has already been sued for the segment by members of the Yirrkala Aboriginal community who were “featured in unrelated file footage during the segment”. A Channel 7 spokesperson said that the network has not yet seen the lawsuit. “Although we don’t disbelieve the reports, Seven is not aware of any actual claim being filed at this stage — so is not able to comment on this action. “If and when anything is filed, we will review and take the appropriate steps.” “Seven settled the original matter in late 2019 in the Federal Court with the Yirrkala community and the Yolngu families and offered an unreserved apology on air shortly after.” </div> </div> </div>

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Gone With the Wind dropped for being racially unjust

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> The classic US film Gone With The Wind has been removed from HBO’s streaming platform due to mass protests worldwide against racism. The Oscar-winning US Civil War epic was released in 1939 and remains the highest-grossing movie of all time. However, its depiction of happy slaves and heroic slaveholders has garnered criticism. “’Gone With The Wind’ is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society,” an HBO Max spokesperson said in a statement. “These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible.” “12 Years A Slave” writer John Ridley said in a Los Angeles Times op-ed Monday that “Gone with the Wind” must be removed as it “doesn’t just ‘fall short’ with regard to representation” but ignores the horrors of slavery and perpetuates “some of the most painful stereotypes of people of colour.” The film will return to the streaming platform at a later date, along with a discussion of its historical context. No edits will be made “because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.” “If we are to create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history.” It comes after Netflix has pulled British comedy series The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentlemen for their use of blackface. Netflix also removed four popular Chris Lilley shows from its platform, which were We Can Be Heroes, Summer Heights High, Angry Boys and Jonah From Tonga. Netflix and Chris Lilley are yet to comment. </div> </div> </div>

Movies

Sam Armytage slammed for “disgraceful” racial comment

A Sunrise segment from 2015 has caused global outrage after resurfacing online amid Black Lives Matter protests, prompted by the unjust death of George Floyd. Twitter user Wolverine reshared a controversial clip, which showed Samantha Armytage criticised for a comment during an interview with British non-identical twins Lucy and Maria Aylmer. The post has now been shared more than 32K times, and has even made news in the UK. “The Aylmer twins come from a mixed race family in the UK,” Sam said to introduce the twins at the time. “Maria has taken after her half-Jamaican mum with dark skin, brown eyes and curly, dark hair but Lucy got her dad's fair skin – good on her – along with straight red hair and blue eyes.” The “good on her” comment immediately prompted a side-eyed glance from co-host David Koch and sparked a furore on social media. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Can't believe this was said on Australian national TV <a href="https://t.co/HknWrhES48">pic.twitter.com/HknWrhES48</a> — WOLVERINE (@EttyTweets) <a href="https://twitter.com/EttyTweets/status/1268844020559753216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2020</a></blockquote> Samantha Armytage did apologise for the comment in April 2015, saying she would be “mortified if anyone thought I would say or think anything racist”. “It's not in my nature. To anyone who I might have offended, I'm sorry,” she said. However, her apology has not stopped the clip from being met with renewed anger after she copped a lashing from people online who labelled her “racist” and “offensive”. “What in God’s name did I just hear?!? Sam Armytage are you serious??? Wow,” one person said on Twitter. “This is disgraceful. you should be ashamed of yourself,” another added. “Omg. I literally froze like wtf when she said “good on her”. That’s like deep rooted embedded racism,” a third angry comment read. Another said: “What a tremendously STUPID thing to say! You insulted BOTH these girls (& the entire Black community) with that ridiculous statement!” Channel Seven and Sam Armytage have been contacted for comment.

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“Wildly inappropriate”: Woman slams budget airline Jetstar for racially targeting her

A Melbourne woman has slammed budget airline Jetstar and claimed that she was a victim of “s***-shaming” while waiting to board a flight at Sydney Airport. Serah Nathan, 33, was flying home with Tigerair and was waiting to board her flight when the “strange” altercation occurred at a Jetstar designated gate. Nathan was visiting her partner with whom she has a long-distance relationship with and claims she was sitting on her partner’s lap when approached by staff. “I sat on his knees and we just talked about mundane nothingness for a couple of minutes,” Ms Nathan told news.com.au, adding the pair weren’t going to see each other again until Christmas. “A uniformed Jetstar representative … sidled up and instructed me to ‘sit on a separate seat because there are children watching’. “My partner and I saw no children in the immediate vicinity and were bewildered at both this request and it’s relevance to how I was seated.” The airline ground staff representative returned with a Team Leader who again told Nathan to sit next to her partner. “I calmly asked her to clarify why I couldn’t converse with my partner while sitting on his knees,” Ms Nathan, a writer, said. “She reiterated there were children around and added, ‘you’re disrespecting the parents here by straddling your boyfriend’.” “I wasn’t treating a domestic airport terminal like a strip club.” Nathan is outraged by the incident, saying that Jetstar was “in the mood to bully a woman of colour”. “(The Jetstar employee) alleged my full length trackies, runners and crop top combo might get me refused on a flight,” Ms Nathan said. “I noted the caucasian woman sitting opposite me wore a very short strapless dress but was left to her own devices. “It seemed to me that Team Leader was in the mood to bully a woman of colour who looks a lot younger than my 33 years of age, and is therefore an easy target.” <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fserahnathan%2Fposts%2F10158091076945572&width=500" width="500" height="506" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> Jetstar have denied any discriminatory behaviour was conducted by staff members. “We don’t tolerate discrimination in any form and our teams dispute allegations they were acting in this way,” a Jetstar spokesperson said. However, when Nathan went to let the Jetstar Customer Service team know about her experience, there were some “odd responses”. “There were some very odd responses from their online complaints handling team, which only added salt to the wound,” she explained, questioning the online chat system whether her outfit was considered “inappropriate” to fly. Nathan had provided an account of what happened as well as attaching a picture of her outfit that she wore to the airport. The alleged response was shocking to Nathan. “I have checked the photo and I think you are very beautiful, your boyfriend must be very lucky to have you,” the alleged response from Jetstar read. “I can understand that you were not engaging in a sexual activity, but then again I believe that this kind of body language must be done in a private place,” the response continued. A spokesperson from Jetstar said an investigation into the incident is continuing. “We are speaking to our airport team to better understand what happened,” a Jetstar spokesperson said in a statement to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/melbourne-woman-claims-she-was-targeted-by-budget-airline-jetstar/news-story/5cf78a31ba6d162b538a243216914d10" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>. “We apologise to Serah for the manner in which her query was handled by our online customer service representative which fell well short of the standards we expect.”

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“I don’t want to be served by you lot”: Kiwi man demands to be served by “white girl” on flight

A former New Zealand man has been convicted of racially aggravated abuse after demanding he be served by a “white girl” on a British Airways flight. According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=12265788" target="_blank">The New Zealand Herald</a>, Peter Nelson, 46, was awoken by flight attendant Sima Patel-Pryke on the 11-hour flight from Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro and launched into a tirade of abuse. UK media reported that the father-of-three said: “You Asians think you are better than us, I don’t want to be served by you lot, I’ve paid your wages for the last 20 years.” His tirade “targeted” Patel-Pryke and reduced the stewardess to tears after he shouted “very loudly” at her and another crew member. The cabin crew got a restraining kit ready to use on him before threatening Nelson with arrest. Prosecutor Michael Tanney said that Nelson “subsequently demanded services in the future only from the white member of the crew.” In Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict to one count of racially aggravated abuse on the flight on June 2 last year. Judge Edward Connell said: “You plainly displayed a contemptuous attitude towards the staff from the outset, when Pryke, simply doing her job, came to wake you in order to take your food order. “You took immediate offence at her having the audacity in your view to wake you up. “It seems that that was the beginnings of what turned out to be on your part an opportunity for you to get very upset without any justification at all. “That manifested itself in the most unpleasant of ways. “It was thoroughly unpleasant period of conduct by you; such was your conduct that members of staff were called to deal with you and they had cause to contact the pilot. “It’s quite plain, albeit this wasn’t the most serious case the court hears, that it had an impact on Pryke who we heard in evidence was upset and ended up in tears because of your behaviour. “It was completely unacceptable and I’m entirely satisfied that it was contributed by that you had drunk a significant amount of alcohol during the course of that flight. “I accept this conviction will have profound ramifications for you and your employability so I’m just persuaded that this can be dealt with a financial penalty.” Nelson was fined $AUD3,582, with $894 compensation to his victim and $6290 costs to the prosecution. Defence lawyer Lauren Sales said that Nelson’s wife has suffered from stress due to the allegations. “He has lost his job. He was the breadwinner of the family. It is life-changing for Nelson, the two of them have taken the decision to take their children out of their school because it’s an international school,” she said. “They feel they cannot go to the gates of the school and stand in the playground.”

Travel Trouble

NRL to investigate racial abuse against Latrell Mitchell

The NRL is set to investigate a racist slur made against Latrell Mitchell after the Sydney Roosters star called out the abuse on his Instagram account. On Sunday, Mitchell posted a screenshot of a Facebook comment from the offender who claimed that “I would laugh my guts up” if the Roosters centre broke his neck. Mitchell wrote on the post: “It’s just a game of footy. There is not need for comments like this. “S**t like this is disappointing. 2019 an nothing is changing.” Speaking to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/latrell-s-father-in-tears-over-abuse-as-roosters-star-heads-home-20190812-p52gc8.html" target="_blank">Sydney Morning Herald</a>, Mitchell’s father Matt said he became “emotional” when he saw the comment. “When my wife showed me the comments on Sunday night I got emotional about it,” he said. “I was probably more angry than anything. That’s such an old-school mentality. Australia is multicultural now. There’s no need for it.” NRL’s chief executive officer Todd Greenberg said the racist comments directed at Mitchell are “disgusting and have no place in our game”. The NRL Integrity Unit are set to ban the offender from all future games. “Racism must be called out in all its forms because the standard you walk past is the standard you accept. I commend Latrell for doing just that,” Greenberg said. “There is no place for any sort of abuse on social media towards our players or their families.” Numerous players and NRL figures shared Mitchell’s post in support, including fellow Indigenous footballers Wade Graham and Joel Thompson. Rugby League Players’ Association boss Ian Prendergast also backed Mitchell’s callout. “We encourage our players to have a voice in terms of telling their stories or about themselves and helping promote the interests of the game generally,” Prendergast said. “But I think they’ve also got a strong voice in calling out behaviour they think is unacceptable. It can help better protect their fellow players as we've seen in recent times. “Hopefully we see a trend in towards this type of behaviour that is completely unacceptable being called out as well.” Mitchell’s incident is the latest case of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/latrell-mitchell-nrl-launches-investigation-into-racist-abuse/11405960" target="_blank">online abuse against Indigenous sport stars</a>, with AFL players Allen Christensen, Patrick Ryder and Liam Ryan being among those who have been targeted this year.

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Sam Kerr’s alleged comments may have had a racial element, but they were not ‘racist’