28 October, 2015. 9:05
ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
THE SPATE OF anti-immigration protests rocking the cities of European nations, especially Scandinavian ones, have lacked elements of the overt racism and hate that would garner them international press – something that was achieved in Cronulla on only their first attempt.
In 2005, a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment spilled over on one fateful sunny afternoon in December which lead to the people of Cronulla hitting the front pages of newspapers and evening news bulletins around the world. As news of the riots spread quickly, so did the fact that Australia wasn’t as wholesome and homogenous as the tourist board makes it out to be.
And that’s something the Scandinavians are looking to fix.
From early next year, TravelScanda, the largest tour operator in Northern Europe, is offering tourism packages specifically geared towards residents of the Sutherland Shire provided they come over and give pointers on how to run a successful anti-Islamic rally.
Prices will start in the mid-to-low thousands, which makes the scheme accessible to even the most downtrodden Northies local.
“Australia an Scandinavia are not that dissimilar,” says TravelScanda marketing manager Osvaldus Báfurr. “We’re both bound by our natural wealth and happy-go-lucky attitudes – and most importantly, our fear of immigrants coming to our country, forming ghettos and eventually taking us over.”
One product offered the the tourism outfit is the “troublemaker package”, which has proved to be very popular, with over a thousand registering their interest in the deal.
What you get in return for your hard-earned Shire dollars are a number of controversial items, such as a gas mask to protect against the inevitable tear gas of proper European riots, a packet of Lucky Strike reds and a collection of medium to large sized rocks to throw at police cars and shop windows. There’s also a quota in place to assure local businesses that Australian rioters need to be responsible for a percentage of mindless damage during a riot.
Caringbah father of six, Brett Cameron, says he’s ready to swap the sun and surf of Wanda Beach for the brisk-winded avenues of Stockholm, where much of the racial tension has taken place.
“Aussies are pretty much Scandos [sic]. We have the same look about us and we don’t much like foreigners coming to our countries and breaking our laws and scaring us,” he said. “I’m doing what me grandad did all those years ago. Gettin on a plane and goin to Europe to fuck shit up.”
For those interested in heading to Scandinavia to take part in anti-Islamic protests, the Australian government asks that you register your details with smartraveller.gov.au and declare exactly what you’ll be getting up to.
