Message ... Cate Blanchett has led a plea to stop the violence.
Posted on 12/16/2005 10:58:11 AM PST by Eurotwit
POLICE yesterday declared six popular beaches unsafe for public use this weekend after intelligence revealed armed rioters were planning attacks.
In an unprecedented move, NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney urged people to stay away from Cronulla, Maroubra and Bondi beaches in Sydney, Terrigal on the Central Coast, Nobbys Beach in Newcastle and beaches in Wollongong. The lockdown decision was made after police received "credible threats" the areas would become race-riot zones and that some groups had been stockpiling guns and other lethal weapons for use this weekend.
"These are extraordinary measures for extraordinary times," Mr Moroney said.
The warnings coincided with a celebrity-studded call for calm at Coogee beach, where actor Cate Blanchett pleaded for tolerance.
Those who ignore the police advice will have their cars searched at checkpoints and will be turned away, unless they have a valid reason for going into the areas.
Intelligence, which includes e-mails and text messages, has revealed rioters planning attacks may bring weapons, including guns, baseball bats and sticks. The information has prompted Mr Moroney to assign another 500 police to patrol the beachside flashpoints tomorrow, bringing the total number to 2000.
He said while he was advising against going to the beach this weekend, officers would not turn away people wanting to go for a swim.
Actors Claudia Karvan and Bryan Brown and singer Jimmy Barnes joined Blanchett to rally for peace.
"It is actually very clear and simple," Blanchett said.
"Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned and we should not turn a blind eye.
"It's about respect for others, respect for the rights of others and respect of the rights of everyone to go about their lives in a peaceful way."
Despite the display of goodwill yesterday, the fight against the racial unrest will be long, said Premier Morris Iemma, who said he regretted having to declare beach areas off limits. "The police have advised me there are credible threats of large numbers of people wishing to converge at a range of beachside locations intent on riotous behaviour," he said.
"Based on the credibility of these reports travel to these areas should be avoided. Residents should not be at those locations."
Mr Iemma's warning that the fight against the unrest will be long has left open the possibility of beach lockdowns over the Christmas weekend and new year period.
"This is not a fight that will be won in the short term," he said.
"What has happened is a bunch of criminals and hooligans have declared war on our society.
"Our determination is absolute to ensure the thugs and the criminals and the hoodlums meet with the full force of the law."
Yesterday's announcement came after yet another violent night on the streets of Sydney, with 19 people arrested on Thursday night. An elderly man was bashed with a crowbar, a molotov cocktail was thrown at police and one officer was injured in a brawl.
The molotov cocktail was thrown in "a disturbing incident" at Dickens Rd, Ambarvale in Sydney's southwest, police said.
Police were last night finalising the beach areas to be locked down this weekend.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Goodwin will command the operation. He said officers had a "very mobile strike capability and a very good ability to move resources around".
Mr Goodwin said police had received reports rioters were planning to use weapons this weekend.
"We have thousands of intelligence reports coming to us, some of those include firearms. Mostly it includes baseball bats and sticks to have it out on the beach," he said.
This weekend's police deployment of 2000 out of the 14,745 serving NSW officers is the biggest police operation since the Olympics.
"There is a very clear message. The beaches of NSW are a fantastic place to be and they are the property of every citizen in this country," Mr Goodwin said yesterday. "This is simply to keep those communities [near the beaches] safe."
Message ... Cate Blanchett has led a plea to stop the violence.
Radio man apologises for comments
From: AAP
December 16, 2005
CLAIMS that Sydney's race violence has been stoked by talkback radio were reinforced today when a radio announcer was forced to apologise for on-air comments about Lebanese Australians.
Macquarie Radio station 2GB also tonight apologised after its Sydney announcer Brian Wilshire last night accused some Lebanese of being "inbred".
On his Thursday night show, Wilshire told listeners: "Many of them have parents who are first cousins whose parents were first cousins.
"The result of this is inbreeding – the result of which is uneducationable (sic) people...and very low IQ."
In an on-air statement at 9pm (AEDT) today, 2GB apologised for the remarks made by Wilshire, and said the 2GB announcer of 25 years would be taking early Christmas leave. His program tonight was instead hosted by announcer Warren Moore.
The statement also appealed for "all Australians regardless of religion or ethnic origin to work together to end violence in our streets".
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"2GB management, in consultation with Brian Wilshire, wishes to unreservedly retract certain comments made in last night's show," the network said in its statement.
"We understand that those comments may have caused offence to some members of the Lebanese community and Brian has unreservedly retracted those comments and wishes to apologise for any offence caused.
"In consideration of community sensitivities, and so as not to further inflame community concerns, Brian has agreed to take leave early."
2GB's apology followed a personal apology from Wilshire earlier in the day.
"I understand that those comments may have caused offence to some members of the Lebanese community and I unreservedly retract those comments and I apologise for any offence that might have been caused," the 61-year-old told Network Ten.
Wilshire, whose station biography declares him to be a fifth generation Australian descended from the brother of Sydney's second mayor James Wilshire, has been with 2GB for 25 years.
His apology came as a number of Lebanese community leaders today blamed talkback radio for stoking racial tensions.
"There's been a number of presenters from the same radio station who seem to have fuelled racism," said Lebanese spokesman Keysar Trad.
"They are fuelling racial division."
His comments were echoed as Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders met in solidarity today outside a Sydney Uniting Church, where a hall was burned to the ground on Wednesday night.
About 300 people, including a large group of Muslims from the nearby Omar Mosque in Auburn, as well as representatives of the Christian and Jewish communities, were at the meeting.
Spokesman for Lebanese human rights organisation Cedarwatch, Stephen Stanton, cited 2GB when he blamed talkback radio for helping to incite the violence of the past week.
"Deep in your hearts there are two matters that are hurting you today," Mr Stanton told the crowd.
One example was 2GB.
"The airwaves are useless if they are used by people such as that," he said, to applause from the crowd.
Australian Islamic Cultural Centre president Sheikh Shafiq Khan also criticised the role of the media.
"The media are the arm of the community," Sheik Khan said.
"The government, the media, the community and police, they are working together like a car.
"If one (of these) is not good, the car cannot work."
Beach now a Leb and gang rape free zone?
Celebrities join call for calm
From: AAP
December 16, 2005
ACTRESS Cate Blanchett has led a star-studded group of celebrities in an appeal for tolerance in the wake of Sydney's race violence.
With the threat of further violence this weekend after last Sunday's race riot at Cronulla, the Oscar winner joined other actors, musicians and Sydney identities to issue a plea for peace.
In a stage-managed event at Coogee Beach, the group stood in front of a banner calling for a "wave of tolerance" to sweep Australia.
Celebrity turned politician Peter Garrett, the federal Labor MP for Kingsford Smith, said the group was delivering a message about "the unacceptability of violence (and) the necessity for us to embrace respect and tolerance".
Blanchett, together with musician Jimmy Barnes, former South Sydney footballer Mario Fenech and actors Bryan Brown and Claudia Karvan, read a joint statement.
"It's actually very clear and simple," said Blanchett, dressed casually in a sun-hat, brown jacket and designer jeans.
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"Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned (and) we should not turn a blind eye to them.
"It's about respect. Respect for others, respect for the rights of others and respect of the rights of everyone to go about their lives in a peaceful way."
Karvan called on all community leaders to work to stop the violence.
"All leaders – community, government, religious, all media, those who have influence – should condemn it," she said.
"All leaders should actively work to stop violence and to stop their fellow Australians behaving that way."
I'm sure these guys will stop if Cate says to stop.
These celebrity types are too,too funny.
Why ban the beaches? Just put a couple of armorered personell carriers on each beach with orders to shoot rioters on sight.
Tolerance for what? Rape? Attacks on lifeguards? Sexual harassment? Please clarify what you mean by tolerance, Cate!
While police wait at the beach, the organizers of the riots will move their rioting to a new location.
In Australia,going to the beach in the summer is the national religion.I was there for New Year's 2004 (at Coogee Beach,in fact) and on New Year's morning (7AM) the beach was mobbed by kids who had partied/slept there all night.
His comments were echoed as Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders met in solidarity today outside a Sydney Uniting Church, where a hall was burned to the ground on Wednesday night.
Racial division? If that is so, why are religious leaders meeting?
Perhaps that's the point - to get it 'out' of their jurisdiction. But realistically, what else can a local police force do?
Because the term has been so misused and over-used that nobody has a clue about what true 'racism' is anymore.
Well, Galadriel carries some clout I would guess :-)
They must be thrilled about this.
If there are no bikini-clad babes on the beaches, the Moose-limbs have won. For the authorities not to understand this is criminal.
It's a pretty dramatic move...
It would like closing down Norwegian ski resorts during easter....
The media is being willfully deceptive by calling this "race rioting" when they know full well what it actually is: "religious intolerance by Muslims". Just like in France. Just like the world over. Wherever Muslims go, civil disturbance, distruction, mayhem, and murder is soon to follow.
Beach now a Leb and gang rape free zone?Yeah. I thought of that too, reading this story which basically left out all the causes for the recent violence. What's really going on? You'll never get it from the media. In France, it's "disaffected youth". In Sweden, it's rapes by "young people".
PS: Without knowing the details, it sounds like there are some aussies with the round-ones to fight back.
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