El Masri Faces Backlash
April 17th 2007 02:52
Canterbury Bulldogs (NRL) winger and goalkicker Hazem El Masri has followed the lead of other out of touch footballers by expecting to receive special treatment from police. In an incident at Regents Park in Sydney's south-west El Masri and his lawyer friend Adam Houda refused to give proof of identity after requests from police.
Clearly the two would prefer to ask questions of police and create trouble rather than assist them. El Masri tells us he was not legally required to show I.D. unless there was due reason. What is due reason and what isn't is subjective. Police records show that Amy street where the pair were seated at the time, has had 162 complaints (call-outs) since 2006. This is three times the average for the area. So maybe the boys in blue might have good reason to be a little more stringent in there investigations.
At the crux of the matter is the supposed over reaction by police to call for backup. El Masri counted up to nine officers before eventually being identified by one without requiring drivers licenses to be passed to officers.
The law man Adam Houda says, "we dont want lawsuits, just the right thing to be done." And alongside him El Masri tells us he just wants an apology. The pair argue that if this sort of thing could happen to a registered lawyer and a first grade footballer, what would happen if it was just some young Lebanese kid.
And what will an apology give Hazem? Victory. Yes, it will be another victory for civil libertarians, and in particular the Lebanese community over our powerless police service. Lets stop there though. Just imagine if the three involved (a third un-named man was also present) simply complied with the request in the first place.
None of this would have occurred. Instead we have this role model for young Lebanese telling his mate Danny Weidler in a television interview that police think they can get away with anything just because thay have a uniform on.
If a police officer can't even ask you for identification, I wonder what powers Hazem would like our police to have, if any at all. Judging by the backlash from readers of the Daily Telegraph today (17/04/07), Hazem has lost a lot of the support from members of the public that he previously won over. I just hope he teaches his children and anyone prepared to listen that members of the police srevice in New South Wales are to be respected, no matter who you are or where you come from.
Clearly the two would prefer to ask questions of police and create trouble rather than assist them. El Masri tells us he was not legally required to show I.D. unless there was due reason. What is due reason and what isn't is subjective. Police records show that Amy street where the pair were seated at the time, has had 162 complaints (call-outs) since 2006. This is three times the average for the area. So maybe the boys in blue might have good reason to be a little more stringent in there investigations.
The law man Adam Houda says, "we dont want lawsuits, just the right thing to be done." And alongside him El Masri tells us he just wants an apology. The pair argue that if this sort of thing could happen to a registered lawyer and a first grade footballer, what would happen if it was just some young Lebanese kid.
And what will an apology give Hazem? Victory. Yes, it will be another victory for civil libertarians, and in particular the Lebanese community over our powerless police service. Lets stop there though. Just imagine if the three involved (a third un-named man was also present) simply complied with the request in the first place.
El Masri a poor role model
If a police officer can't even ask you for identification, I wonder what powers Hazem would like our police to have, if any at all. Judging by the backlash from readers of the Daily Telegraph today (17/04/07), Hazem has lost a lot of the support from members of the public that he previously won over. I just hope he teaches his children and anyone prepared to listen that members of the police srevice in New South Wales are to be respected, no matter who you are or where you come from.
| 120 |
| Vote |
Comments (14)
Add Comments
