Hateful protest shows short memories and naivety

Inever thought I would see the day when people who subscribed to the hateful Nazi ideology would be allowed to address an Australian public gathering (“Clapback as neo-Nazis speak at anti-immigration rally”, September 1). Nazism, like a lethal disease, dominated the German people in the 1930s, leading to World War II and untold misery at home and abroad. Australians were among those in the democratic world who fought against this menace, and many sacrificed their lives in the battle for freedom and democracy. It seems some people have very short memories. That any Australians would even consider giving a voice to white supremacists, or listen to their odious views, is a simple disgrace. Rather than heed their call to “send back” immigrants, perhaps we should consider whether these types of people, who preach hate, are worthy of Australian citizenship. Most of us are descendants of immigrants and none of us should take for granted the free, democratic society we enjoy. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

Credit: Cathy Wilcox

As expected, the March for Australia was invaded by neo-Nazis spewing their bile over our multicultural society. If the organisers of the march thought they could demonstrate their views in good faith, it shows just how naive they are. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill

Statistics from the 2021 Australian census found that more than half of all Australians are either first- or second-generation migrants. While no firm data is available, an extrapolation of the 2021 census figures suggests the number of third-generation migrants (Australians who have at least one grandparent born overseas) could be significantly higher. The bottom line is that most Australians living today accept that they would not be here unless someone in their family tree migrated to Australia. Sunday’s anti-immigration protests were never about immigration; they were an attempt by white supremacists to legitimise their beliefs as a populist doctrine. Paul Clynick, Moffat Beach (Qld)

My fellow Australians demonstrating against whatever they seem to deem immigration is responsible for – where do these people come from? What the hell is their agenda? I was born in 1941 to a fourth-generation man who was killed at Tobruk. I never knew him. My life has been constantly enriched by the cultural contributions of people who have come here for a better life and, in doing so, have enriched the lives of many. In these turbulent global days, may I humbly suggest that the so-called “patriots” out there disrupting the lives of people who really care, take a step back and count their blessings. Maggie Kirkpatrick, Cooloola Cove (Qld)

As someone who has lived for 94 years, I have seen and experienced enough of the world to know that those who wrap themselves in flags as supposed nationalists are often disguised fascists – Hitler, Mussolini, Mosley, Franco, to name a few. The flag-waving mob that stormed the US Capitol building on January 6 is largely responsible for today’s MAGA movement, which spawned Trumpism and the authoritarian fascist tendencies that have thrown the world into chaos. God forbid that another ribbon-slashing de Groot and paramilitary New Guard are about to infect Australian politics. Bernard Moylan, Bronte

Migrants conceived, made and first flew the Eureka Flag. Given an acute shortage of building labour, migrants are on the critical path for achieving ambitious national housing targets. Jim Allen, Panorama (SA)

Thousands of people protesting a war with “roots that extend far into the past” and many thousands of kilometres away. Thousands of people protesting over what they see as excessive immigration, despite migration numbers to our country declining. Clearly Australians love a protest, but where are they with the big issue facing our communities – growing inequality and the mind-numbing numbers that 80 per cent of our wealth is held by 20 per cent of our people? Where’s the noise about that? Dorin Suciu, Eleebana

As a female descendant of Irish and New Zealand immigrants who arrived by boats, I feel afraid as I look at the photo of those two nasty, potentially violent men screaming at the crowd in Sydney’s anti-immigration march. Do they typify the Australia they want? God help us. I shout at them from afar, “Go back to where your ancestors came from!” Jennifer Fergus, Croydon

I am a child of immigrants from the Indian Punjabi diaspora – my father arrived in Sydney in 1956 to pursue his matriculation and went on to study at the University of Sydney. He loved this country and all the opportunities it afforded him. He was a proud Australian and worked hard until he was 88 to contribute to what he considered his adopted home and its society. He laughed off macro- and microaggressions he experienced in his professional and personal life. He was perhaps a little hurt but forgiving of the Cronulla riots – always stressing to me his deep faith in the inherent compassionate and egalitarian “fair go” nature of the Australian people, regardless of ethnicity. Now, when it is proved that migration boosts employment, labour productivity and business patent application, the Sunday rallies are an anthesis of that – and the mere fact that even one Australian attended is deeply wounding and bewildering to all of us immigrants who consider ourselves Australians. Rani Sachdev, Cronulla

I was thinking October 31 was the time children dress up with masks and try to scare people. It now appears that some big people want their own day on August 31 when they dress up in black and try to scare people. Perhaps they just want lollies? Philip Dowle, Wickham

Migration nation

Thanks to Suresh Rajan, who pointed out the myriad ways migrants contribute to our communities (Letters, September 1). My memory brings up images of the young security officer who gave his life to protect shoppers in the horrible knife attack at Westfield shopping centre in Bondi Junction last year. Faraz Tahir was a 30-year-old Muslim refugee from Pakistan who’d only been here a year. I wonder how many lives he saved? Let us not forget the original owners of this land. I dare say the majority of the anti-immigration marchers on Sunday were immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Marilyn Lebeter, Smiths Creek

While I entirely agree with the points made in Suresh Rajan’s letter on the anti-immigration issue, this (elderly) CaLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) person had to Google CaLD, and it reminded of me coming to Australia 40 years ago and not applying for jobs that required knowledge of EEO because I didn’t know it stood for equal employment opportunity (no Google then). Ingrid Zoebe, Coogee

Multicultural celebration

On Sunday in our little village, about 250 Hindu revellers brought a joyous (and loud) celebration to the beach area. Many local citizens jived along to the rhythms produced by about 30 drummers while picnickers from many other ethnicities also enjoyed the celebrations from a distance. What a contrast this was to the hate and bile espoused by neo-Nazis. There was so much colour in contrast to the hateful black shirts at the other, more publicised rallies. Rod Lander, Stanwell Park

Fortune favours the brave?

“All it would take is a little political courage.” Ross Gittins, you had convinced me until that conclusion (“The one big reform no one raised at Labor’s roundtable”, September 1). Rowan Godwin, Rozelle

Trump comedy lost on many

I don’t think I’ll be accompanying Rosemary O’Brien (Letters, September 1) to an evening of stand-up comedy any time soon. Her view of Trump’s humour comprising misogyny, racism, calling service men and women suckers and losers, sexual assault, adultery, theft and swindle, compulsive mendacity, as warped and offbeat is lost on me. The Gulf of America was hilarious, though. Barrington Salter, Elanora (Qld)

I have forwarded Rosemary O’Brien’s letter to all the women who claim to have been sexually assaulted by Donald Trump. If only they knew he was expressing a weird sense of humour. John Campbell, South Golden Beach

Oh, Rosemary, surely not even you can make Trump sound like your harmless crazy Uncle Bob. The man is beyond autism; he is a genuine lying psychopath who has the sole distinction of making ignorance an art form. His followers are tied to him in a twisted form of symbiotic narcissism where their longing for a strong “daddy” is fulfilled by Trump’s fake appearance of strength, action and purpose. Trevor Somerville, Illawong

Yes, Rosemary O’Brien, it’s really humorous to disrupt vaccination programs so kids can get measles and polio again, and to destroy USAID so that thousands, if not millions, can die of starvation or AIDS, isn’t it? Plain evil to me. Jennifer Briggs, Kilaben Bay

Celebration to be proud

Thanks to Nick Bryant (“Brisbane 2032 a cue to be bold again”, September 1) for his reminiscence of the Sydney Olympics where everything ran so well and which is still widely seen as the best staging of the Games. I feel fortunate to have been at the athletics on the day Cathy Freeman won her gold. I have attended big events in rugby, cricket, football in the UK and more, but nothing goes near the day Cathy triumphed. As she slowly did her victory lap the record crowd stood for five minutes, clapping, cheering and even shedding tears of joy. If Brisbane can repeat what Sydney did and bring about lasting change in its aftermath, then once again we will be able to say: “We liked what we saw.” Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

Cathy Freeman celebrates after winning gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.Credit: AP

The way to get ourselves out of a funk is to set the discipline to do something creative. The Brisbane Olympics will certainly contribute towards lifting us. Celebrations of life do just that. Sydney, in fact the whole of Australia, is a wonderful place just to be. Isn’t that worth a celebration in itself? I’ve been banging the drum that we should host in Sydney something akin to a world expo for 30 years now, but it hasn’t happened. Being bold means taking risk and finding courage. We need some hope in all our lives presently. Let’s celebrate ourselves and invite the world to our party. Neville Williams, Darlinghurst

Heritage funding needed

Calls to revive the Opera House Lottery are welcome (“National lottery to revive the arts”, September 1) but why stop at the arts? The UK has a Heritage Lottery that funds cultural heritage projects that cannot achieve other funding, or are non-viable financially but nonetheless desirable to preserve. They fund building restorations, archaeological excavations, vessel, transport and vehicle restorations, document archive storage facilities and all manner of heritage items. We in this country have to go begging, cap in hand and tugging our forelock, to gain even the slightest interest from governments. Perhaps also charitable deductibility should be automatic for heritage projects, as registering to gain ATO charitable status is a costly minefield. Mark Walker, West Kempsey

Shark nets must go

Thank you for the informative and well-researched article on NSW’s shark nets (“Shark nets set to go at three beaches in trial”, September 1). It is sobering to discover that, on average, only two shark fatalities occur in this state every year, while there is no evidence to prove that shark nets actually work. Indeed, they may have the opposite effect by attracting sharks to the other creatures caught in these nets. Worse, other net-captured creatures include unacceptably high numbers of harmless or endangered species such as dolphins, turtles and large fish. The NSW Government is to be congratulated. John MacKay, Asquith

Praise for the pill

Yes, Dr France (Letters, September 1), I can vouch for the help the pill gave me as a teenager. My mother, who I think probably had endometriosis, was not going to let me suffer long, heavy periods so she took me to the doctors, who prescribed the pill. Newspapers were constantly publishing articles about the evils of the pill and how it caused all manner of problems, including strokes. I am 79, and the pill was 30 times stronger then than it is today, but I am fortunate not to have any health problems associated with it, and certainly did not succumb to anaemia because my heavy periods were cured. Social media has a lot to answer for regarding health matters, but I prescribe a good doctor every time. Marilyn Irons, North Narrabeen

Double combo

Have Robert Hickey and Lorraine Hickey, both of Green Point, both published in yesterday’s Herald, scored a first as a husband/wife or siblings combo? There’s no prize for guessing what they were doing on Saturday morning. We now wait for the two Alison Stewarts to be published on the same day. Howard Charles, Glebe

Staying in touch

I agree with Brian Haisman (Letters, September 1). No “oldies enclave” for me. We prefer an eight-storey building with views of trees, and neighbours from far and wide, plus little ones running around the corridor waiting for lifts. The younger generation keeps you in touch with real life. Alison Stewart, Waitara

Rebecca Kaiser- shush! David Farrell, Erskineville

Living in colour

I don’t recall the pink and grey trend in the 1980s when I painted my kitchen walls in “Sundance yellow”, the cupboards in chocolate brown and the door knobs in orange (“White is waning, so here is your new go-to neutral”, September 1). I even found curtains to match all in three colours. Elizabeth Maher, Gordon

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