| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 12/11/2005 7:53:29 AM PST by Admin Moderator, reason:
Duplicate: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1538211/posts |
Posted on 12/11/2005 7:07:22 AM PST by Esther Ruth
Violence spreads in Sydney
December 11, 2005
RACE-fuelled violence spilled into other Sydney beaches tonight.
A police media spokesman confirmed there had been problems at Maroubra beach, following the near-riot at Cronulla beach earlier today.
"There have been a number of incidents of property damage in the past hour-and-a-half that included broken windows and damage to motor vehicles," he said.
Reports on radio station 2GB indicated up to 50 vehicles with passengers armed with "baseball bats" had been causing trouble in Maroubra, in Sydney's east.
Police have set up a command post in the area, 2GB reported.
Sky News reported that a group of people in cars and with baseball bats, bits of wood and stakes, had "slammed every single car" in some streets.
"The windows were smashed out", one report said.
One eyewitness reported every car in a section of Maroubra Road had had their windows and windscreens smashed, and glass was littering the road.
In Wride Street, a group of 50 local people chased after the offenders on foot before disappearing into units in the area.
An eyewitness said one man, believed to be of Maori or Polynesian descent, was "bleeding profusely" and taken in by locals.
There were also reports of crowd trouble at beachside suburbs of Kyeemagh and Brighton Le Sands, in Sydney's south.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=75226
Sydney's racist mob violence spreads
Sunday Dec 11 23:57 AEDT
Race-fuelled violence spread through Sydney beachside suburbs after chanting mobs chased down and bashed people of Middle Eastern appearance and clashed with police at Cronulla Beach.
At least 12 people were arrested at the southern Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla in a near-riot which erupted after text messages began circulating earlier this week among rival groups urging attacks on each other.
Despite a strong police presence at Cronulla, there were numerous assaults on people of Middle Eastern appearance and on an ambulance crew.
RELATED LINKS
VIDEO: Mob mentality
In an apparently-related attack later, a 23-year-old man was stabbed in the back outside a golf club at nearby Woolooware by what police described as a group of males of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance.
About the same time, up to 50 carloads of youths smashed up over 100 cars with baseball bats and other weapons in the eastern beach suburb of Maroubra, in apparent retaliation for the Cronulla beatings.
Riot police were also called in to the beachside suburb of Brighton-le-Sands to control groups of brawling youths who had reportedly thrown projectiles at police.
But the trouble first flared at Cronulla, with mobs of youths chanting racist slogans and carrying Australian flags attacked youths of Middle Eastern appearance and turned on police who tried to control the violence.
Two paramedics were also injured as they tried to rescue a group of people from the Cronulla Surf Lifesaving Club, where they had fled to escape the violence.
The mob broke the ambulance vehicle's windows and kicked its doors as the paramedics tried to get the group out.
Police, who used capsicum spray and batons in their battle to subdue the rioters, were also pelted with beer bottles.
Some groups in the crowd, estimated to have peaked at 5,000, also stomped on and swarmed around police cars trying to move from one violent flare-up to the next.
Officers were forced to shut down some roads, which were littered with empty bottles as alcohol fuelled anger on the streets.
Premier Morris Iemma condemned those involved in the chaotic scenes, as NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney vowed to prosecute those who perpetuated the violence.
"I'm ashamed as a man and as the commissioner of police," Mr Moroney told reporters, describing mob mentality as un-Australian.
He said he was deeply disturbed by one incident which saw a young man and woman who "innocently walked into the crowd" set upon by rioters.
"She was literally saved by the police officers," he said.
"Clearly there has been a level of racial vilification ... and those who are found to behave this way will be prosecuted." Warning against further violence, Mr Moroney said police numbers would be increased if the unrest continued.
"I will provide the resources for however long it takes to bring peace and calm to the community," Mr Moroney said.
The trouble began with scuffles about midday (AEDT) after thousands of people, many carrying Australian flags and dressed in Australian shirts, rallied at the beach.
As the crowd moved along the beach and foreshore area, one man on the back of a ute began to shout "No more Lebs" - a chant picked up by the group around him.
Others in the crowd yelled "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ... Oi, Oi, Oi".
Many had adorned their bodies with racist slogans. One shirtless teenager walked by, this message painted on his back: "It's time for a f****** war, so join the army of hardcore".
Within half an hour, reporters at the scene watched at least three young men of Middle Eastern appearance being singled out and chased, their clothes torn as they fled.
Two of the men took refuge at Northies Pub, where police were forced to form a cordon to stop the mob from going inside.
Not long afterwards, police rushed to Cronulla train station when a gang converged on it after receiving a text message saying a group of Lebanese people were trying to leave.
Police said the text message was wrong, but it sparked violent scenes as police swung their batons at the crowd trying to keep them out of the station.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Goodwin labelled the violence "disgusting" saying people of ethnic backgrounds had been clear targets.
"What has been occurring on some fronts is that people of Middle Eastern backgrounds that have been seen in the Cronulla area - a swarm of the crowd has approached these people with vile abuse, in the most un-Australian way," Mr Goodwin said.
"We have a number of reports of persons that have been assaulted." The premier repeated his call for calm in the troubled community, which has been the scene of two violent incidents in the past week.
Authorities had expected the violence after the two incidents - an attack on two lifeguards last Sunday and a brawl later in the week in which youths turned on a media crew.
Soon afterwards, a series of text messages began circulating, encouraging members of two rival groups of beach users to attack each other.
One of the messages had urged "Aussies" to take revenge against "Lebs and wogs". Another urged locals to rally at a point on the beach to take retaliation against "Middle Eastern" gangs.
"I urge everyone in the community to back our police and respect the rule of law which is the bedrock of our Australian community," Mr Iemma said.
"We will do everything in our power to protect the right of all law abiding Australians and our life saving volunteers to use the beach in safety." Sydney's Islamic community blamed the violence on what it called racist and irresponsible sections of the media.
Islamic Friendship Association of Australia president Keysar Trad said the violence was "bound to happen" following racist rhetoric on Sydney talk back radio last week.
"Sections of the media took this issue far too far and one can only surmise that the way this issues was dealt with on talk back radio amounts to incitement," Mr Trad said.
He said the media had turned a common youth issue into an issue of ethnicity, and the racist chants at Cronulla showed people weren't acting rationally, but were "filled with hatred".
But NSW Opposition leader Peter Debnam laid the blame at Labor's feet, saying the state government had for years been in denial about the kind of violence and intimidation that regularly occurred in suburban Sydney.
"... the biggest problem for 10 years has been the government in denial about the violence and intimidation on the streets of Sydney. In any number of suburbs of Sydney you can see the same problems," he said.
He said Mr Iemma must restore police numbers in Sydney, and called on a harder line from officers.
"... we the community never want the police to say 'disperse'. Instead, police need to surround thugs, arrest them, charge them and lock them up." The violence forced some Cronulla businesses to temporarily close, despite the efforts of outnumbered police to stop the violence.
Two bottle shops closed their doors and a local pub refused to allow any more people in after police said alcohol was contributing to a dangerous situation.
Mounted police, the police dog squad and other specialist units were engulfed in the throng, as a police chopper hovered over the beach.
A heavy police presence was to remain on guard in the beach community overnight, amid concerns the unrest may flare again.
As he arrived at the scene earlier, the police commissioner was clearly shocked by what he saw.
"I just wonder how they even call themselves Australian," Mr Moroney said.
"baseball bats"
boy i see another legislative ban coming up
then onto sticks and "gasp" stones
more
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/mob-violence-envelops-cronulla/2005/12/11/1134235936223.html
Fascinating.
If I interpret the euphemisms correctly, "youths" or "people" bashing cars and attacking people are Middle Easterners, and are not the ones being referred to as "un-Australian." Those would be the racist "locals."
Middle Eastern, Lebanese, violence in Australia, "we want the police to say "disperse" instead of arresting the individuals.
Am I right in thinking that the muslims in Australia, (the violence prone area), want the police to in effect, "leave them alone", the same as muslims in France wanted?
Is the rioting due to the Australians reacting to muslim violence in the country?
I've not heard nor seen any news reports on the situation, so please freepers, post what you got.
"I wonder if it was wise for Australia to abandon its "White Australia" immigration policy."
About as wise as nailing your soft parts to a stump, then setting the stump on fire.
It looks like there are Australians who don't want their country taken away from them by means of leftist immigration policies. The police seem to be on the other side.
Kinda like the US.
"that said - I don't condone mob violence!"
Like the Boston Tea Party?
When a long chain of abuses and usurpations tramples the will of the people, it is their right to correct the situation.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Maybe, maybe not. Many Lebanese left the ME because they are Christians. And the CIA says that only 1.5% of Aussies are muslim and that would have to include Aussies with roots in Indo, Malay and the Philippines...so, who knows if islam is involved. I wouldn't be surprised either way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.