In Fremantle, down the road from me, is The University of Notre Dame, a small private Catholic university. It is affiliated with the larger Notre Dame Univ. in Indiana. The two schools have a student exchange program where a group of American NDU students study in Fremantle for 6 months, and a group of Aussie NDU students study in Indiana for 6 months.
The American students are normally housed at a dorm in the old part of Fremantle near the campus.
The police in this state are well known for being above the law, corrupt, incompetent, and untouchable. This weekend they got drunk and decided to target the American NDU students. Here is a copy of the story from the paper.
Claims that nine off-duty police officers taunted and humiliated American university students from Perth's University of Notre Dame about the US involvement in Iraq are being investigated by West Australian police.
The incident occurred last Tuesday in Fremantle, when drunken police officers, seven from WA and two from NSW, forced the students to kneel on the ground at their dormitory at Notre Dame University.
It is one of several being investigated by police after a wild night in the port city.
It is believed the abuse of the US students erupted after a fight at a nightclub. During that incident, one of the WA officers was allegedly assaulted by one of the students and had a tooth knocked out. Enraged, some of the drunken officers tracked the American down to the university.
It was there that several American students, including some who had nothing to do with the clash, were made to kneel on the ground. It is believed the taunting included comments such as "Yankees go home", "What are you doing in our country" and "What are you doing in Iraq".
The university's acting vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Dallimore, said he would not comment because a student had been charged with assault and the matter was under investigation.
WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts said she was appalled at the allegations.
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US consulate to examine WA police harassment claim
The American consulate will hold its own investigation into claims 10 off-duty police officers in the port town of Fremantle harassed a group of American students.
This comes as WA police launch their own investigation into the incident, with allegations the officers started fighting with the students after drinking heavily at a local hotel.
The investigation involves about eight officers from the Fremantle Tactical Investigation Group as well as two from the eastern states.
It is alleged that after the fight, students were chased back to their dormitory at the Notre Dame University in Fremantle before being forced onto their knees and taunted about America's involvement in Iraq.
One student was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, and appeared in court yesterday.
WA Police Minister Michelle Roberts says she is concerned the allegations involve people from the United States.
"One would hope that no-one in the community would operate in a racially, prejudice way against people from another country," she said.
The police union says the accusations are grossly incorrect and the whole matter has been blown out of proportion.
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Police 'targeted US students' in drunken fight
The Western Australia Police Service is facing embarrassment with a number of officers under investigation for drunken and unruly behaviour.
It is alleged about 10 Fremantle officers targeted American students during a drinking session.
It is alleged the officers from the Fremantle Tactical Investigation Group were off duty and drinking at two of the city's bars on Tuesday when they became involved in an altercation with United States Notre Dame University students.
A police service media relations spokesman says the officers then went to the students' dormitory and charged one of them with assault occasioning bodily harm.
The student appeared in court yesterday.
Police say they are taking the allegations of the officer's drunken and unruly behaviour very seriously and have been conducting interviews since Wednesday.
'Out of proportion'
The Police Union says the allegations have been blown out of proportion.
Police Union president Mike Dean says he has spoken to the officers involved in the alleged incident and believes the accusations are grossly incorrect.
"The reality... is if our people have done the wrong this they'll certainly be brought to account for it but the preliminary facts as I understand it are that it's not that serious," he said.
"It's been blown out of proportion."
Western Australia's Police Minister, Michelle Roberts, says she is appalled by the allegations as police should behave while on or off duty.
Opposition police spokesman Matt Birney says he hopes the investigation will not become a drawn out affair.
"I would expect a full thorough and transparent investigation into this matter and I would expect those findings to be made public within a relatively short period of time," he said.
Mr Birney says Western Australians will want to see the results of the investigation.
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