NEWS

07/07/2014

A joke, a funny speech or just a funnt stereotype to make laugh to audience has become a really big trouble into the relationship between Colombia and Australia he last days. The Australian anchor-men Matt Tilley y Joe Hildebrand claimed on his evening show “The one Percenters” about that he Colombian national team playing at the World Cup “shouldn't be known as “Cafeteros” but as “Cocaine addicts”, because of the of Colombian conflict with this drug.

“- Is Colombia really famous for his coffee?

- Are you suggesting that there is another stimulant beginning with C that Colombia is more famous for than caffeine

- Just want to say this; it seems to me that if you mention Colombia the next thing that people generally mention is cocaine”

Those unfortunate comments were said on the Australian Triple M station during the World Cup within the humorous magazine, and immediately caused a lot of criticism by the colombian community in Australia and also internationally. Many Colombian citizens were called for demonstrations in some cities around Australia to claim against the presenters.

The Colombian Government through the Colombian Embassy and Consulate in Australia expressed his rejection and complained with a note to Triple M about the offensive words and behaviour of his employees. It was done according to The Australian Racial Discrimination Act of 1975.

“I mean everybody has it, is on it, sells it, I hear of people who go there backpacking and say it’s crazy, Oh yeah a bit of blow everybody has some” they add on his show. Moreover, the comedians also insult in a racist way to the famous old goalkeeper of the Colombian national team, René Higuita: “They had René Higuita the goalkeeper who famously could do a handstand and flip his legs up and save it that way. Hands? Too easy! Chimpanzees could do that, I’m going to do a donkey kick”

Even on the famous website www.change.com has been created a special petition from Colombia in which they request a formal apology and punishment if it is required from Triple M station to Matt Tilley and Joe Hildebrand for their racist rampage against Colombia and Colombian people. The petition has already reached more than 15 thousand signatures.

By Santiago Ivar