Australia's Channel 7 under fire for 'racist' African gang exposé

Channel 7's Sunday Night episode deemed racist.
Channel 7's Sunday Night episode deemed racist. Photo credit: Twitter: - @channel7

A Sunday Night episode due to air on Australia's Channel 7 has drawn protest and criticism from the migrant community for exaggerating an African gang issue in Australia.

The trailer for the episode shows people robbing stores and causing havoc and includes a caption that reads: "Barely a week goes by when they're not in the news."

The video also shows an alleged victim of gang violence, and a reporter asking police if African gangs exist.

People flocked to Twitter to claim the video exacerbated racial tensions and inaccurately depicted the nature of gang violence issues involving immigrants. 

Migrant activist and lawyer Maker Mayek created the hashtag (#NotMyAustralia) on Twitter in protest of the show airing, saying that as a member of the migrant community, he had not been notified about the story.

On Sunday, a group of Melbourne's African community peacefully protested the airing of the show.

This is not the first time the network has been in hot water. Earlier this year, Channel 7 interviewed a far-right leader and failed to disclose he had a conviction for racial vilification and had praised Adolf Hitler in the past.

There has been no comment from Channel 7. 

 

Newshub.