Police say up to 2,000 people were involved in the riot.
A racecourse is the safe place to street race . Public roads are a no-no. Period.
What's with boys showing off their cool toys? What's it all about? Social status? Ego? Phallus size?
Posted on 03/20/2010 3:01:47 AM PDT by myknowledge
Australia's drag racing association says the Victorian Government must bear some responsibility for fuelling the frustrating of motor sports fans, following a riot in Melbourne's south-east.
Last night, about 2,000 people took to the streets of Oakleigh to protest against the cancellation of the Easternats car racing event.
They were targeting Bob Jane, the tyre company that sponsored the event.
Easternats organisers say Bob Jane cancelled the event after failing to finalise contract negotiations.
Police say the peaceful gathering turned ugly after some people in the group started smashing the windows of a tyre dealership and setting off flares.
Police were called in about 11:30pm (AEDT) when the protest turned violent.
They have called on those responsible to hand themselves in and say they are examining video footage.
The Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) says the State Government should invest in a new drag racing facility.
The association's Gary Miocevich says last night's violent behaviour is unacceptable, but more needs to be done for car racing enthusiasts.
"They're youths that are frustrated because the Government hasn't provided them with a safe and legal environment in which they can play with their cars," he said.
"Now ANDRA supports that and ANDRA has been working with the Victorian Government for three and a half years to secure a new facility for drag racing and other motor-related sports."
The promoter of the event, Jon Davison, feels the behaviour was unacceptable, but says there is a need for these events.
"Last night's frustration, even though it was unacceptable, was indicative that there was quite a demand, there's a need to get these kids off the street and give them an expression session," he said.
Police say up to 2,000 people were involved in the riot.
A racecourse is the safe place to street race . Public roads are a no-no. Period.
What's with boys showing off their cool toys? What's it all about? Social status? Ego? Phallus size?
All most of them need is a bloody good hiding.
I work with adolescent boys everyday. None of them would have been likely to do any of this, because we, and their parents, set limits, enforce them, and give them ample opportunity to express themselves in acceptable ways.
Well, at least these “youths” don’t appear to be “French.”
Rioting is easy, getting a bunch of mates together to organise an alternative event is hard. If you can get 2000 people together at short notice it should be considered an opportunity for something more profitable than jail time.
Since when is it or should it be the government’s responsibility to provide a drag strip for the citizens so that they can play with their cars? If you are old enough to drive, you are old enough to contribute part of the cost of a facility via use fees paid to a private developer/owner.
Socialism in action.
Right. Let's make them girls.
I’m a little perplexed by the representatives of some drag-racing org. demanding that the government provide facilities for them. Can’t that group organize and build their own facilities without government sponsorship?
In Australia, government support of sport is very common. This is a large part of the reason why a nation of only 22 million people (today’s figures) was 6th at the Beijing Olympics, 4th in Athens, 4th in Sydney, etc. A very significant amount of government money is put into promoting sport. It’s considered worthwhile in terms of making Australia better known overseas, and in terms of fitness and social benefits within Australia.
The Victorian State government has just spent $268 million building a new ‘rectangular stadium’ for soccer, rugby, and American Football (minority sports in Victoria - Australian Rules Football uses the oval shaped field used in cricket so nearly all major sports stadiums in this state are based around an oval field). In that context, it becomes a little clearer why some other sports might feel they are deserving of taxpayer money as well.
Not a good answer. They’ll still be boys, be all macho.
In my home country Australia, it's become an infectious virus.
People who overdepend on the government (I should say gubmint) for everything are socialists.
Do you sometimes wish sport was funded by the private sector instead? Government-funded everything reminds me of socialism, and it reeks of it.
I have no objection to some government funding of sport, just as I have no objection to some government funding of art. But I believe both should only happen when there is a clear benefit to the community at large. If the intent is to promote healthy activity among kids, you need to be able to demonstrate that is happening. If it is to improve education, you need to be able to show that educational outcomes are being improved.
I have no problem with the Australian Institute of Sport, for example - I believe elite performance is something that is worth promoting in any field. But now we have state institutes of sport in every state except Tasmania and I think that’s overkill. The AIS takes the best - why do we also need to be supporting the second best?
I also think that things like the AIS should operate on a similar principle to universities when it comes to funding - we require and expect university students who are government subsidised to pay that money back when and if they become sucessful. Elite athletes who make money from their athletic endeavours should be required to pay back the AIS.
Just one comment in this in light of my last comment.
Part of the reason I believing in elite performance is because, in Australia, socialism often takes the form of denying that there's any such thing as one person being better at something than another person. Everybody has to be the same, nobody is allowed to achieve more than any other person. Elite performance puts the lie to that socialist ideal. It shows it to be untrue. And that should be promoted.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.