Australian PM’s nephew fined for anti-racism protest
January 26th, 2010 - 9:10 pm ICT by IANS
Melbourne, Jan 26 (IANS) Nephew of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was Tuesday fined for “inciting a riot” while protesting against racial attacks on Indians in the country.
Van Thanh Rudd along with an activist of the Revolutionary Socialist Party was taken away in a police van after he dressed in Ku Klux Klan attire and protested outside the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park here.
Rudd said Tuesday’s protest was aimed at recent attacks on Indian nationals and the federal government’s support for “genocidal regimes”.
“Australia funds the genocidal Sri Lankan regime and then rejects the refugees who flee. In this country you could not get away with doing that against whites. So, they’re the basic reasons we’re having the protest today,” Rudd was quoted by ABC radio as saying.
Van Thanh Rudd, an outspoken artist, said he chose Melbourne Park for the protest because it gets significant attention on Australia Day.
James Crafti, a fellow member of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, said there was “absolutely no struggle” from the protesters. “But they have been told they will be receiving fines of $200 for supposedly inciting a riot”.
“From our end, there was no confrontation, all we had was a few people with no power whatsoever, using the only power we’ve got, which is our voices and our visual ability to display ourselves,” Crafti said, adding that the protesters were simply practicing free speech like other Australians.
“There were two people holding costumes and several others of us who were holding signs,” he said.
“We’ve got people around the streets of Melbourne today waving around Australian flags, waving patriotic symbols. If you want to talk about inciting, that sort of thing would incite indigenous people and make a lot of people upset,” he added.
However, Crafti said, Van Thanh Rudd has not been in regular contact with his uncle.
“They’re not estranged in any sense, but Van is very much his own person and has very different views in terms of the racism of this country,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his nephew’s protest “is a matter for the people involved”.
- Kevin Rudd's nephew in Ku Klux Klan anti-racism protest - Jan 26, 2010
- Rudd disagrees with nephew's stand on racism against Indians in Australia - Feb 05, 2010
- Cult member vandalises Facebook tribute pages - Nov 12, 2010
- Racism in Australia gets similar to United States' Deep South: Johnny Lee Clary - Mar 15, 2011
- Assange's mother writes to Rudd demanding Wikileaks' founder's protection - Feb 11, 2011
- University of Texas may change the dorm named after KKK member - Jul 12, 2010
- Gillard likely to meet Oz Governor General to set election date - Jul 16, 2010
- Australia raises CWG unpaid bills with India - Jan 20, 2011
- Australia calls for election timetable to steer new Egypt - Feb 12, 2011
- Kevin Rudd to challenge leadership - Feb 24, 2012
- Governor Haley Barbour is not going to condemn the KKK license plate proposal - Feb 17, 2011
- Australia objects to Ku Klux Klan cartoon in Indian daily - Jan 08, 2010
- No current plans to provide Libyan rebels with weapons: Rudd - Mar 31, 2011
- Oz FM Rudd warns of lengthy Libyan action - Mar 21, 2011
- Oz PM Rudd must condemn Lanka offensive on Tamils - May 16, 2009
Tags: abc radio, australia day, australian flags, australian open, australian open tennis, australian open tennis tournament, australian prime minister, fellow member, inciting a riot, indian nationals, indigenous people, kevin rudd, ku klux klan, melbourne park, open tennis tournament, patriotic symbols, police van, revolutionary socialist party, van thanh, visual ability
