A FACEBOOK page portraying Aboriginal people as drunks who sniff petrol has been condemned by Framlingham elder Len Clarke.
Facebook removed content from the Aboriginal Memes Facebook page on Wednesday after a barrage of complaints was lodged with the social network, the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
But it has since reappeared under a new name with some of the same images and comments.
Mr Clarke said the page was a minority viewpoint but it didn’t surprise him.
“It’s very, very disturbing,” he said.
“For the last 200 years Aboriginal people have been putting up with racial slurs such as this.
“It has been reflected in non-Aboriginal society whose racist actions and slurs are fully entrenched.
“Everyone knows when they’re at a barbecue on the weekend there is always some joke which is certainly derogatory.
“There is a ripple effect which creates institutionalised racism.
“Although we don’t like to admit to it Australia is one of the most racist countries in the world.
“Now it can be hidden behind a computer.”
Mr Clarke said the creators of the page should be prosecuted by the full force of the law.
“This spreads extremely quickly and some people probably jump on it for the sake of jumping on it.
“It’s a coward’s way of having a go at someone.
“Facebook can be a good modern day mechanism for people to keep in touch with each other but unfortunately it will be abused by people.”
Australia’s Racial Dis-crimination Commissioner Helen Szoke expressed concern about rules governing content on social media websites.
“It’s a question of where we go from here in terms of the kind of rules that define what can go on social media generally ... and how they might be in conflict with local domestic laws,” she said.
With AAP
