And the chasm widens

Australia's image of a multicultural and multiracial society seems to be in tatters. Three nights of racial riots in Sydney with no signs of stopping have left local residents terrified with innocent bystanders being targeted as well.

The riots seem to be have started on rumors of two lebanese youths who were believed to have attacked a lifeguard. Around 5000 white people patrolled the streets looking for soft targets who looked of an arabic descent. This seems to have escallated beyond proportions a sad reflection of how mob mentality has become a bane of our society.

Australia along with the Paris riots recently seem to have shown how the deep routed disconcent amongst different communities has grown, looking for a spark to bring to the fore. The clash between cultures and believes just looks to be starting.

Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from the spanish government headed by "zapatero". Madrid which was a target for al-qa'ida bombings and later pulled out of iraq as a result seems to have pursued a policy of inclusion of all instead of targetting based on racial and religious profiling. This seems to have done wonders for the psyche of people who feel welcomed and not discriminated against(though only time may tell).

This is in stark contrast to the policy followed in France (and possible future policy in Australia), which would probably increase the chasm of divide between people of different cultures. It will be interesting (in a dispassionate view) to see how the clash between cultures turns out.