A man who has chosen to remove his Southern Cross tattoo has been slammed on social media as the once revered symbol comes under fire for being ‘racist’.
While some punters have opted to remove or cover up the true blue tattoo, others have argued the patriotic ink is simply an expression of Australian pride.
Debate was recently sparked online after a Perth tattoo removal parlour uploaded a video of a man having his Southern Cross removed using a laser treatment.
The elaborate design on the man’s shoulder blade featured the Southern Cross stars, a muscly kangaroo and a Akubra with corks hanging from the brim.
Debate was recently sparked online after a Perth tattoo removal parlour uploaded a video of a man having his Southern Cross removed using laser treatment (pictured)
Social media users swarmed to the comments to share their thoughts on the tattoo, with one commenter going as far as to say it was ‘un-Australian’ to get it removed.
‘How could you remove such a masterpiece?’ another user commented.
‘Why the hell would you get rid of such a good tattoo,’ a second questioned to which the laser clinic replied: ‘To get a bigger version’.
Other commenters said they didn’t blame the man for getting the design removed.
‘Good idea getting rid of the bogan tattoo,’ one wrote.
‘Not even Aussies want to be Aussies,’ a second commented.
Why the hell would you get rid of such a good tattoo,’ a TikTok user questioned in the comments to which the laser clinic replied: ‘To get a bigger version’
Other commenters said they didn’t blame the man for getting the true blue design removed
Jess Howe, owner of the South West Laser Tattoo Removal clinic in Perth, said she had noticed a ‘number of people’ opting to get the iconic tattoo removed.
Ms Howe said while she didn’t think the symbol was ‘blatantly racist’ she thought some clients felt more comfortable getting the symbol removed or covered up.
‘To me it feels more bogan. I think some people feel as if it characterises them in a way they don’t want to be,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I think it’s simply gone out of fashion.’
Peter Poulos, a laser technician at Disappear Ink in Sydney’s south, said he had personally removed about 15 to 20 of the iconic tattoos in the last five years.
Jess Howe, owner of the South West Laser Tattoo Removal clinic said she didn’t the Southern Cross stars were ‘blatantly racist’ (pictured, Australia Day celebrations in Queensland)
Mr Poulos said he doesn’t believe the symbol carries any racial connotations and hadn’t noticed a recent surge in people opting to get it removed.
‘People who have the tattoo are simply proud of being Australian,’ he said.
The technician said the Southern Cross tattoo had been popular because it was ‘quick, cheap and easy to do’ and didn’t call for any coloured ink.
Mr Poulos said he removed more tribal tattoos, ex-partner’s names, swastikas and gang-related symbols than Southern Cross stars.
He added the symbol was in ‘a whole different ballpark’ to tattoos of the Eureka Flag, which has been adopted by the far right ‘Australia First’ political party despite concerns it has come to represent ‘white supremacy’.
Peter Poulos, a laser technician at Disappear Ink in Sydney’s south said he didn’t believe the patriotic tattoo held any racist connotations (pictured, Australia Day parties in Queensland)
The Southern Cross stars first fell out of favour after it became associated with the Cronulla riots, with some perceiving the symbol as racist.
The 2005 Cronulla race riots saw gangs of young men from anglo-saxon backgrounds violently descent on those of Middle Eastern backgrounds.
An estimated 5000 people, many of them intoxicated young men, converged on Cronulla car park for a demonstration – but it quickly escalated into a riot.
Horrific pictures of the day showed people, mostly of middle-eastern appearance, being glassed and hit as crazed onlookers cheered on the attackers.
By the end of the riots, more than 100 people were facing charges, and 40 people had been injured, with the scenes of blatant violence shocking the entire nation.
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