OCKER BANNER CAUSES RACIAL TENSIONS

Big Day Out organizers want concert-goers to leave their Australian flags at home:

The organisers of the Sydney concert, which will be held on Australia Day, say they are not banning the flag but are discouraging people from carrying it in case they inflame racial tensions.

Tensions have thus been inflamed.

Update: Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett wants the flags left at home:

"There are people that seek to excuse extremely objectionable and dangerous sentiments simply by wrapping it in the flag," he said.

"If people love the flag genuinely and are proud of their country as we should be, then we should be concerned about misuse of the flag and should be supporting efforts to prevent the misuse of it."

It isn't the stars and bars or a swastika they're talking about, it's the Australian national ensign. Amazing.

Update II: Kevin Rudd reckons the idea is "political correctness gone mad." Mark Vaile says it's ludicrous. Nothing so far from Bob Brown.

UpdateIII: Here's the explanation from the event's organizer:

Event producer Ken West said the use of flags last year after the Cronulla riots and recent clashes between Serb and Croatian fans at the Australian Open tennis had forced his hand.

"I didn't like the behaviour of last year and we have moved the event from Australia Day this year partly because of the way the flags were used," Mr West said.

"The Australian flag was being used as gang colours. It was racism disguised as patriotism and I'm not going to tolerate it.

A lot of people aren't going to tolerate that sort of attitude.