Aggressive brawls disturb Sudanese beauty pageant in Melbourne
Days before the Sudanese beauty pageant in Melbourne, a string of aggressive brawls burst wildly in the area. Almost 2000 Sudanese youths from across Australia came to Melbourne over the Easter long weekend to watch the Miss South Sudan Australia beauty pageant held in Springvale on Saturday. They, too, engaged in a number of after-parties in the succeeding days in the neighborhoods across Melbourne.
According to one woman who chose not to enter the beauty contest, "Sudanese boys are coming drunk and starting a brawl.” After-parties at Clayton, Braybrook and Ringwood were blighted with violent brawls among Sudanese youth who are under the influence of alcohol.
Reports showed one man was attacked with a machete and bike chain while several residents were taken to the hospital with stab wounds. The most recent conflict in Ringwood last night resulted in one man whacked unconscious.
Sudanese reporter Akech Yangdit wrote that a series of violent scenes which transpired in last year’s Sudanese beauty pageant would be repeat itself this year. This is greatly feared by Sudanese community, he furthered.
Yangdit underscored, “These young drunken boys should consider the impact their actions had on the reputation of Sudanese people.”
According to Yangdit, after-party organizers sold a lot more tickets than what the venues could really accommodate. This ignited anger among the waiting crowd who insisted entry to the venues as they have bought tickets.
"They rented a hall that probably fits 200 people and yet they issued tickets to over 2000 people,” Yangdit accounted.
Deputy Police Commissioner Sir Ken Jones, on the other hand, said young refugees who fled countries stricken by war often had trouble adapting to the new laws and lifestyle in another country. Jones shared that he encountered similar problems with Ethiopian refugees during his stay in Britain.