Protest division

This division is not who we are as a nation

When I saw photos in this paper on Monday October 1 of the protests in Sydney and Melbourne, I first thought they were from another country.

For these images to be shown overseas is very embarrassing. This is not who we are as a nation.

Protesters who are not citizens should be immediately deported if they are caught.

Mr Dutton is correct in expressing his views by saying “ I am shocked that in Australia I have seen support for listed terrorist organisations Hamas and Hezbollah in our two largest cities”.

The police commissioner has to be tougher and prevent future protests.

Joe Larrarte, MacMasters Beach

Great job, Albo

Great work PM. Why don’t you bring more of these poor refugees so they can protest about something that has nothing to do with Australians.

Why don’t we sell tickets to these rallies to compensate people trying to get to work and to pay the police instead of us taxpayers.

My forebears must be turning in their graves with what’s happening to this once great country.

Bruce Crowe, Marrickville

Safeguard freedoms

I fear and detest all nationalistic flag waving and what it symbolises much of the time.

Even more so when it is linked to warfare and murders perpetrated by terrorists and rogue groups that behave similarly but can’t be similarly described – for reasons which are increasingly absurd and out of touch with the facts.

I also treasure freedom of expression which is now under attack by a malignant, reactionary brand of political correctness which demands a crackdown on people protesting about aggressive nationalism in the Middle East.

As a migrant nation we need to be much smarter and that includes being even-handed about freedoms.

We can’t afford any draconian over-reactions which marginalise any group of citizens.

These will impoverish us all and risk propagating radicalisation.

So my message to all politicians is if you want social cohesion pull your autocratic heads in and stop weaponising this situation for short-term gain.

Jim Allen, Panorama SA

Nation is changing

With immigration, above all other matters, getting free rein to whoever the government is of the day, this is the “senate-free” result we as a nation have to put up with (“Arrest this hate”, DT, 1/10).

Immigration decisions should not be a free pass for any reigning government to do as they please. As Labor are now finding out with their immigration free pass.

They are now stuck in the unpalatable position of having to cater for voters with unacceptable ideals that go against the grain to our Aussie way of life.

Hence the no arrests or action taken over the pro-Hezbollah rally, and all in the name of votes.

Our post-World War II migrants came here with a solid work ethic and even took to The Seekers and say Slim Dusty.

Some of our post 1990s migrants have shown repeatedly that they lack these same qualities that are needed to maintain the balance of our Aussie way of life, that is now slowly slipping from our grasp.

But the worst news is, as our “new” variety of migrants get a foothold in our country, this and all their previous incidents are going to replace what used to be our Aussie way of life.

Robert May, Lakemba

No time for morals, Joe

Sorry Joe Hilderbrand. Demonstrating our moral superiority and being nice to killers like Hezbollah won’t work (“Beat Hezbollah and Hamas with our moral superiority”, DT, 1/10).

They are impervious to reason and sentiment, see attempts at peaceful coexistence as weakness, believe only in violence and power and behave accordingly.

We are not dealing with modern people, but fanatics with only a veneer of civilisation who draw inspiration from ancient beliefs, superstitions and physical battles they feel give them moral superiority over corrupt and decadent people like us who they despise.

Such people will not change and our only course is to isolate them in their own countries or, if we have foolishly let them into ours, demonstrate that here we deal only in the law laid down by our elected parliament and if they don’t calm down and obey our law they will have plenty of time in jail to ponder what might have been.

Doug Hurst, Chapman ACT