Posted on 12/12/2005 10:22:21 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
THE New South Wales Government is to give police tough new powers, including the ability to declare alcohol-free zones and the ability to search people and their vehicles in an attempt to quash the spiralling violence on Sydney's beaches.
Police will also get additional powers to confiscate vehicles owned by people involved in social unrest. "These criminals have declared war on our society and we are not going to let them win," NSW Premier Morris Iemma said.
With Sydney now bracing for more revenge attacks following two nights of violence, assaults, car-smashings and damage to property on Sydney's southeastern beaches, more than 450 police will be on patrol in the flashpoint areas tonight.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney urged residents of Sydney's eastern and southern beaches to "think very carefully" before seeking revenge for damage to their cars or property over the past two nights.
New laws to be passed by the end of the week will increase jail terms for riot offences from five to 15 years and double the penalty for affray to 10 years.
"I won't allow Sydney's reputation as a tolerant, vibrant international city to be tarnished by these ratbags and criminals who want to engage in the sort of behaviour we've seen in the last 48 hours," Mr Iemma said. "They think they can get away with this, well they will not.
"We are not going to allow these people who have essentially declared war on our society to get away with this sort of behaviour."
A special cabinet meeting was to be held this afternoon and Parliament is to be recalled by the end of the week to give police the tougher powers.
Dozens of people have been injured and many others arrested in two days of racial violence on Sydney's beaches.
Attempts were underway today to broker a peace deal between warring groups to prevent a third successive night of clashes.
But while community and political leaders urged an end to the racial violence, one Muslim spokesman warned of continuing anger among Middle Eastern youths who feel police are treating them unjustly.
Eleven men were arrested in a second night of violence last night as groups unleashed apparent reprisal attacks for Sunday's race riot at Cronulla, when alcohol-fuelled mobs chased and bashed anyone of Middle Eastern appearance.
Seven people were injured, cars and shops trashed, and rocks and flares hurled at police in suburbs including Cronulla, Brighton-le-Sands and Caringbah.
"We're dealing with an unprecedented situation the likes we haven't seen in Australia before, with this type of racial tension and these types of series of smash and bash attacks across multiple fronts," NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Goodwin said on ABC radio.
While the southern beachside suburb of Cronulla has been the major flashpoint for violence, attempts were underway today to ensure peace at Maroubra Beach, the target of an apparent reprisal attack late on Sunday night.
Lebanese Muslim leader Keysar Trad and members of Maroubra's surfer gang, the Bra Boys, held talks today to broker a peace deal between rival groups.
"They (the Bra Boys) expressed their outrage at what happened at Cronulla and they expressed their support and appreciation for the Middle Eastern community," Mr Trad said
The Lebanese community also condemned the violence, Mr Trad said.
Bra Boys member and top surfer Koby Abberton labelled Sunday's riots at Cronulla "cowardly".
"I was upset being Australian on that day," he told the Nine Network.
However Islamic leader Fadi Abdul Rahman suggested further trouble could be brewing, saying Muslim youths felt angry that police were not treating them fairly.
"They feel they have been dealt with by the authorities differently to the way Anglos have been dealt with," he told the Seven Network.
"They feel injustice and they feel angry about it."
NSW Police Minister Carl Scully said rival groups needed to bring an end to the violence, and groups had no right to take the law into their own hands.
"They feel slighted and insulted and believe they're entitled to respond to the provocation of those drunken yobbos on Sunday," Mr Scully said on ABC radio.
"(But) they're not entitled to respond in a violent, criminal manner which is what they're doing and the police will continue to round them up while they do so."
The NSW opposition called on the NSW government to mobilise hundreds of police in a bid to prevent another night of violence.
Opposition leader Peter Debnam said the Government should consider importing police from other states.
"The Government is simply pussyfooting around. What they need to do is mobilise hundreds of police," he said on ABC radio.
Prime Minister John Howard again played down the racial aspect to the Sydney clashes, saying they were primarily a law and order issue.
"I don't think we should over-complicate this," he said.
"Violence, thuggery, loutish behaviour, smashing peoples' property, intimidating people – all of those things are breaches of the law and I don't think the actions should be given some kind of special ... status because they occur against the background of this or that.
"If we start treating this behaviour for what it is we will far more readily settle things down and get back to a situation we all want."
Mr Howard again said he did not think Australia was a racist country and said the mob violence would have no long-term effect on Australia's international reputation.
The trouble began last night when a group of 200 mostly Muslim men gathered at Lakemba Mosque, in Sydney's south-west, apparently after rumours that an attack on the building was imminent.
Rocks and flares were thrown at police trying to disperse the group, and a female constable was injured when a projectile struck her leg.
Police were also hit with projectiles as a crowd of about 100 people gathered for a second night in Brighton-le-Sands, in Sydney's south.
Meanwhile in Perth police are investigating an attack on a Middle Eastern family by a group of young men. The group of up to six Caucasian men, aged in their mid-20s, were seen throwing eggs, kicking the garage door and yelling abuse at the 42-year-old man, his wife and six children about 9.30pm (WST) yesterday.
Police spokesman Ian Hasleby said the attackers were not known to the family and it was too early to link the attack to the riots in Sydney.
The family has lived in the Kewdale home for eight months and had not had any other problems in the neighbourhood.
They should all be arrested, that would be fair. I cannot believe that a wave of bashings and vandalism (last night), largely by Arabic youths who invaded from the Western suburbs, caused only seven arrests. Perhaps it is racism - after all, if Aborigines did this, they would be filling up the cells en masse.
New powers for police:
including the ability to declare alcohol-free zones
!!! I must be a pundit. For once, one of my recommendations have come true.
How many Muslim "youths" do you reckon were on the grog last night?
Some of them do drink, but they are notorious (those ones in central-western Sydney) for drugs.
Drugs are always bad, but let's not get them confused with having a few quiet beers.
Oh come on, now, they just want jobs!
We've got more bloody jobs down here than you can poke a stick at. Most of them wouldn't work in an Iron Lung!
With Al Qaeda?
Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George the First for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God Save the King.
Article quote: "The trouble began last night when a group of 200 mostly Muslim men gathered at Lakemba Mosque, in Sydney's south-west, apparently after rumours that an attack on the building was imminent."
I thought the trouble began when some Muslim youths beat the tar out of some beach lifeguards ( lifesavers down there? ). Or did it ultimately start when they were rattling some cuties on the beach?
Either way, from what I have read, this chain of events all started with the actions of some Muslims. Is this correct?
It could have been the bashings. Could have been the rapes. Could even have been 9/11 or Bali. Whatever it was, the Moozies did it!
Or to put it another way: "They wouldn't take a job paying $300 an hour taking inventory for a blind liquor store owner."
They won't, but I will. Where do I apply?
Get a lot of ham and bacon, cut it up, and throw it at the islamofascists!
And after they've run like scared rabbits, we can all have breakfast (don't forget the eggs...)
An abundance of Islamofascists and a severe overpopulation of great white sharks? It's a sign...
Hire them for what?
Would you hire someone that has no work ethics? NO desire to assimilate into society? Someone that only wants welfare from the host country?
We here in south Florida see it all the time from illegals from Haiti, south and central America.
It's pretty clear the politicians are "pussey footing" around again with these muslim b^$!^rds and will probably encourage them to even greater outrages. Unlike the frenchies the Aussie civil population may really get into some serious head cracking before this is over...something that badly needs to happen. The cops should just stand back and let the young guys do the job...give islamic leader Fadi Abdul Rahman something to howl about.
From what I have read over the past few decades, the mussies
just can not get along with anyone, anywhere unless the
host country and locals acknowledge that the mussies are
always right, are owed a living and of course RESPECT.
I actually believe they are afraid of women, especially
good looking women. 90% of the muslime men I see are butt
ugly, with unibrows and could only get a woman by force.
Aussies are certainly *not* French!
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