Anti-burqa mural sparks street fighting

On Sunday January 16, the ongoing controversy surrounding the “No To Burqas” mural in Station Street, Newtown escalated to a flashpoint. Some seventy people gathered in Newtown Square around 1pm and moved down Enmore Road to the site of the mural, to express their opposition. Banners were displayed reading, “racists out of Newtown” and “fascists off our streets”, while chants rang out over tunes from a sound system.

During the protest, paint was lobbed at the mural and anti-racist posters pasted onto it. When police attempted to disperse the crowd and seize those who they suspected of the paint-throwing, lengthy scuffles broke out. The crowd moved away from the mural site following police orders, and the footpath on Enmore Rd became the scene of protracted scuffles, as the police encircled and forcibly dispersed demonstrators. Eight arrests were made, amid allegations of heavy-handed police tactics.

Veronica Malatesta, a protest organiser, said “Sergio claims that his mural is an attempt to open up debate about ‘fundamentalism’. But it’s not a debate when the starting point is an attack on someone’s way of life. “No to Burqas” is really an attack on Muslims as a group – by singling out Muslim women in particular. It’s a poor repackaging of sexism and racism, of a sort that has become disgustingly fashionable in recent years.”

Malatesta points to the support for the mural from far-right groups, such as the Australian Protectionist Party, who have taken to gathering at the mural when protests are held against it, as confirming this analysis.

The demonstration is the latest in a string of actions opposing the mural’s message. Since it first appeared in late September, the mural has been defaced some thirty times, according to its’ owner, Sergio Redegalli.

In the most recent incident, in early January, Redegalli tackled one person who applied paint to the mural, detaining the young man until police arrived.

Adam Leeman, a participant in Sunday’s protest, said “I came along because the mural represents a trend of racism that’s escalating in this country. In Europe, that trend has escalated to the point where governments have banned face coverings. I fear that attempts to get the hijab or burqa banned will increase racism and give room for nationalist, fascist groups to build in this country.”

By Annette Maguire