I might be a hopelessly deluded liberal fuck-wit, but these students - thirty or so of them, and only half of them defending their "corral", against thousands of evil black people, and the result? Plenty of warnings against getting to close to the black victims, plenty of fear of black people, plenty of people taking their info from police and the national guard, no injuries to, no rapes of these white students.

I would suggest that, in the situation, and with the information we have about these kids' ordeal, the black folks of New Orleans were predictably reasonable towards them actually. After all, white, british students in America? the first targets of mob racism and violence i'd say, if only because of their perceived relative affluence.

Could it be that what really plays into the racists' hands is the willingness of us (non-"black") people to automatically agree with those who suggest that with dark skin goes wickedness and depravity? Sure bad things happened in and around the superdome - thousands of desperate people with no way out, no food, no leadership, no hope might go a little mad no matter their skin colour.

Special Treatment for White Britons at Superdome I guess if you are stuck in the Superdome and are white you can get evacuated while everyone else rots. Here's part of an article sympathetic to their plight straight from the BBC's web page. Direct link:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4214746.stm

Britons describe hurricane ordeal
Briton Jane Wheeldon
Survivor Jane Wheeldon said UK officials gave "minimum" help
Britons returning from New Orleans have described the horrifying conditions in the city.

JENNY SACHS

Jenny Sachs, of Sheffield, told how soldiers had to smuggle her out of the Superdome in secret.

She was one of about 30 Britons who, realising they could not escape the city, had fled to the stadium for shelter.

"It has hit me more now I am at home, when you can have clean water, how bad it was," she said.

She said people had been raped and that others were beaten up.

"A guy was brought in who had seven stab wounds and was covered in blood."

The military told all non-US citizens to stay together for safety, Ms Sachs added.

They later told them they would be secretly smuggled out in groups of 10 under cover of darkness as it had become too dangerous for them to remain in the stadium, she told BBC News.

"When we were leaving, people were going 'Where are you going?' and giving us looks.

"But the military got us out, which we were all thankful for."