Aussies became ‘more racist’ a decade after Cronulla riots, says Abe Forsythe

Public screening of “Down Under” next month comes at an opportune time as director Abe Forsythe boldly claimed that racist attitude has been “legitimised” in Australia these days.

The actor-turned-filmmaker particularly alluded to recent calls made by television host Sonia Kruger to ban Muslim migration to Australia. Forsythe said such has been a “completely irresponsible” reaction from a public figure after a series of international crimes have been attributed to Muslims.

"Sonia's comments are especially unfortunate in the climate that we find ourselves in," Forsythe was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying. "At a time when we need things to bring us together, you have someone saying something that is the most simplistic way of dealing with an issue.”

Forsythe’s “Down Under” tells a story of fictional characters that participated on the 2005 Cronulla riots in Sydney, which stemmed from violent tensions between Lebanese and white population. The film centres on hotheads heading out to participate in the retaliation the day after the riots.

Racism stems from 'ignorance'

He also cited the election of Pauline Hanson to the Senate as proof that racism has become a norm in Australia.

"The movie is about racism and how it basically stems from ignorance,” he pointed out. “Pauline Hanson's ignorant views foster the kind of racism that a percentage of our population can get behind in a group and feel safe."

"The scary thing about Pauline Hanson is she represents 500,000 people," Forsythe added. "In the scheme of things it's a small number but it's significant enough and it highlights a pocket of Australia that needs to be better informed about the issue.”

While he believes that conflict is inevitable due to racism, Forsythe said a repeat of the Cronulla riots can be prevented with dialogue.

"The best of avoiding a repeat of the Cronulla riots is by talking about the issue for a start and informing the conversation in a way so that we're listening to each other and not just shouting over each other," he said.

"The intent of the movie was to play into that conversation,” Forsythe added.