The label #AfricanGangs is dehumanising

The black African body remains political as it often occupies a contested and criminalised space. The confluence of blackness and “danger” cannot be overstated - particularly in an environment where black skin is weaponised and seen as inherently suspicious. The depiction of Africans as gangs has led to even more profiling and scrutiny of the community. The rising “fears” have since taken a bigoted turn with leaflets displaying pictures of black men being circulated in Melbourne with a call to stop “gangs hunting in packs”.