Oz schoolchildren punished for posting racist comments against Aborigines on Facebook

SYDNEY - A group of school students are being punished for posting racist comments about Australian Aborigines on Facebook.

On Friday, the offending material was removed from Facebook and the principal of King’s School in Parramatta was notified

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted the school’s headmaster Tim Hawkes as saying that he was appalled and horrified by the “implicit racism” shown by the students of his school.

He said one King’s student, who has been identified, was responsible for the comment and other students who had posted responses were “implicated by their tacit support.”

“We know who did it. There was one central character and a number who were voyeuristic,” Hawkes said.

He said the offence had been taken seriously and that those involved were punished and told why their behaviour was offensive.

All involved were required to write essays explaining why their comments were offensive.

“From an educative point of view, we have the boys doing essays on stereotyping, on the appropriate use of Facebook. And they are having to research why it is that people would have been offended by the comments,” added.

Hawkes, however, refused to say whether the student responsible for the original comment had been suspended. (ANI)