Posted on 12/12/2005 2:37:18 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
SIMMERING racial tensions exploded in Sydney again last night as police traced chilling new text messages inciting further violence.
Groups of Middle-Eastern men descended on Cronulla seeking revenge for Sunday's attacks, smashing cars with baseball bats.
There were reports of shots being fired and of police being driven at as running battles were fought.
The area had been peaceful early, but by 6pm many Australian flags were hanging in windows and on cars.
About 10.30pm, six carloads of young men of Middle Eastern appearance drove through the beachside strip.
They began kicking parked vehicles and hurling bottles and screaming for "Aussies" to stay inside.
This began a string of running skirmishes with police in which about 16 were arrested.
The confrontations then moved to Kings Way where a man was bashed and glass broken.
Police dogs and helicopters were called as furious locals began to gather, threatening to take back the streets from "wogs and Lebanese".
Rebecca Francis, 21, said the young men had intimidated her and her boyfriend. "They said to us, `Get inside, you Aussie c---s, if you don't want to get hurt."'
Police yelled at local residents to stay inside.
Police were yesterday investigating SMS messages calling on young Arabs to start another round of attacks at Cronulla Beach next Sunday.
"All Arabs unite as one, we will never back down to anyone the aussie's (sic) will feel the full force of the arabs as one `brothers in arms'," the SMS said.
"Unite now lets (sic) show them who's boss `destroy' everything gather at cronulla . . . spread the message to all Arabs."
At Lakemba last night, more than 400 Middle Eastern men, many with bats, bricks and iron bars, gathered at the mosque. Police tried for two hours to disperse them.
Later, as the crowd began leaving, a brick was thrown and flares were fired at people, police said.
In Maroubra, about 60 locals gathered near a hotel despite earlier peace talks between local surf group the Bra Boys and Lebanese community leaders. Police had reports that bricks were stockpiled on nearby shops' roofs and some metal bars were confiscated.
But the crowd had largely dispersed by nightfall.
The worsening violence was sparked on Sunday when a 5000-strong alcohol-fuelled mob, some waving flags and chanting racist slogans, chased and beat people of Middle Eastern appearance at Cronulla beach.
Later in the night, a wave of violence spread to Maroubra and Brighton-le-Sands, with two people stabbed and more than 100 cars badly damaged in apparent revenge attacks.
At least 30 people have been injured, including two ambulance officers and six police officers.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney condemned the violence as the worst he had seen in 40 years as a policeman.
"Never in my working life did I ever imagine a mob, a drunken mob, turning on a woman, an innocent woman who happened to stray into their path," Mr Moroney said.In other developments:
A POLICE strike force was set up to hunt down those responsible.
A TOTAL of 16 people had been charged with 42 offences as of last night.
WHITE supremacists were blamed for inciting the riot.
PRIME Minister John Howard said the violence was sickening, but he did not believe Australia was a racist nation.
Police were checking hospitals for a man with possible burns to his legs after a flag was torn from an RSL club and burned.
A witness said the man spat, stomped and urinated on the flag before dousing it with lighter fluid and setting it on fire.Two police officers said they saved two young men from being murdered on Sunday afternoon.
Sgt Craig Campbell said he had no doubt two young men cowering in a train at Cronulla railway station would have been killed if he had not held off the mob with his baton.
Sen-Constable Gary Smith said another two Middle Eastern youths thanked him for saving their lives. "The crowd surrounded one. I felt he was in grave danger," he said.
"Once I got him in the police car he thanked me for saving his life."
An attack on two Cronulla lifeguards last week, blamed on Lebanese youths, sparked the chaos.
Cronulla locals yesterday criticised a "softly-softly" approach by police.
Two bottle shops were asked to close about 5pm on Sunday after the violence had already peaked. Youths wandered drunk with bottles of beer in alcohol-free zones with no police action.
A full-time police riot squad will be operational in January, but critics say it will be too late.
Interesting articles. Most I've seen on this topic involve "youths" of generic ethnicity retaliating for "white" racist attacks.
"Racial tensions" are impossible since both sides are of the same race.
Cultural, religious or ethnic tensions are correct descritpions of these events.
Strange how the word "Muslim" doesn't get a run...
Why does this verse always come to my mind when I hear about Muslims?
This just can't be true, Oz banned firearms! </sarc>
"Groups of Middle-Eastern men descended on Cronulla seeking revenge for Sunday's attacks, smashing cars with baseball bats."
Someone needs to tell CNN. They attribute everything to "anti-Arab rioters".
"why does Assoc. Press & Reuters always refer to Muslim RIOTERS as "youths"
To diminish the perceived severity of their behavior.
I noticed each time the article said the muslims did anything it was in retailiation for the actions of the recists aussies and when the aussies respond they are white supremacists.
Not really, since the media was willing to cover it up in France.
Stay safe!
Hmmm, any non-whites?
It occurs to me that if there were no Middle-Easterners in Australia, then this would not occur in the future.
Everyone should read this:
http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/article_view.php?article_id=581
Australia will be a Muslim state within 25 years.
Not a chance! Britain, yes. France, yes. Australia, forget it!!!!
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