Australian cricket fans have been told to tone down their insults as Australia and England clash in December and January for the Ashes series. The Aussies have been told that they may call the English "Poms" or "Pommies" (their slang word for the English) but not if it is meant as racist or offensive.
Australia is still hurting after England won the Ashes in 2005 for the first time since 1987.
Strewth! Why Aussie cricket fans must cut out the 'pommy' jibes
27th September 2006
Aussie cricket fans love poking fun at the Pommies (the English).
Australian cricket fans have been told to tone down their insults to the English during the forthcoming Ashes series.
Cricket Australia, the sport's governing body down under, has ruled that visiting fans may be called "poms" or "pommies" without breaching the country’s racism laws.
But they risk being ejected from the grounds or even prosecuted if they link pom with anything "hurtful... racist, offensive or humiliating".
A Cricket Australia spokesman described the possibility of hordes of fans being expelled from grounds as a "hypothetical" scenario.
CA spokesman Peter Young said: "The planning for next summer is a work in progress. We have an absolute zero tolerance towards racism and we want to ensure there is a public understanding that there is no place for racism."
CA may consider measures such as installing telephone hotlines for offensive behaviour to be reported, and players being appointed as antiracism ambassadors.
The England team arrive in Australia for the tour, which includes the Ashes and a series of one-day internationals, this autumn. The first Test begins at Brisbane on 23 November.
Australians are still licking their wounds from losing the Ashes in England to the side captained by Mathew Vaughan.
Barracking is a major part of the Australian game on the field and in the stands. Under the strict rules, spectators will not be able to use the common Australian put-down "pommy bastard".
However whether they will be able to use the term "whingeing pom" is unclear.
Even Prince Charles found himself barracked as a "pommy bastard" when he visited Australia as a teenager.
Typical of other put-downs is the jibe "I'm dry as a pommy's bath mat" which is used to indicate thirst and plays on the notion that the English do not wash as frequently as Australians.
The Australian cricket board's stance is based on a ruling by the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commissioner in a 1997 case, Bryant v Queensland Newspapers.
It said that "calling someone a pom" by itself was not racial harassment, unless "said in such a way, or in combination with other acts or comments, that make it so".
It comes as the International Cricket Council announced a new amended code this week, partly in response to the racist abuse suffered by South Africa players in Australia last December and January.
It is believed that "pom" is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM), as many of Australia's first settlers were British convicts, sentenced to transportation.
dailymail.co.uk
If you think North Americans can be good at name-calling and banter, just experience what the Aussies do to a Brit.
Australia is still hurting after England won the Ashes in 2005 for the first time since 1987.
Strewth! Why Aussie cricket fans must cut out the 'pommy' jibes
27th September 2006
Aussie cricket fans love poking fun at the Pommies (the English). Australian cricket fans have been told to tone down their insults to the English during the forthcoming Ashes series.
Cricket Australia, the sport's governing body down under, has ruled that visiting fans may be called "poms" or "pommies" without breaching the country’s racism laws.
But they risk being ejected from the grounds or even prosecuted if they link pom with anything "hurtful... racist, offensive or humiliating".
A Cricket Australia spokesman described the possibility of hordes of fans being expelled from grounds as a "hypothetical" scenario.
CA spokesman Peter Young said: "The planning for next summer is a work in progress. We have an absolute zero tolerance towards racism and we want to ensure there is a public understanding that there is no place for racism."
CA may consider measures such as installing telephone hotlines for offensive behaviour to be reported, and players being appointed as antiracism ambassadors.
The England team arrive in Australia for the tour, which includes the Ashes and a series of one-day internationals, this autumn. The first Test begins at Brisbane on 23 November.
Australians are still licking their wounds from losing the Ashes in England to the side captained by Mathew Vaughan.
Barracking is a major part of the Australian game on the field and in the stands. Under the strict rules, spectators will not be able to use the common Australian put-down "pommy bastard".
However whether they will be able to use the term "whingeing pom" is unclear.
Even Prince Charles found himself barracked as a "pommy bastard" when he visited Australia as a teenager.
Typical of other put-downs is the jibe "I'm dry as a pommy's bath mat" which is used to indicate thirst and plays on the notion that the English do not wash as frequently as Australians.
The Australian cricket board's stance is based on a ruling by the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commissioner in a 1997 case, Bryant v Queensland Newspapers.
It said that "calling someone a pom" by itself was not racial harassment, unless "said in such a way, or in combination with other acts or comments, that make it so".
It comes as the International Cricket Council announced a new amended code this week, partly in response to the racist abuse suffered by South Africa players in Australia last December and January.
It is believed that "pom" is a shortened acronym of Prisoner of His/Her Majesty (POHM), as many of Australia's first settlers were British convicts, sentenced to transportation.
dailymail.co.uk
If you think North Americans can be good at name-calling and banter, just experience what the Aussies do to a Brit.
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