Posted on 12/23/2005 3:17:38 AM PST by naturalman1975
A MAN and a teenager are in custody tonight after facing court on charges of burning an Australian flag during Sydney's racial unrest.
Two other teenagers were granted bail over a violent incident at Cronulla train station during the December 11 race riot.
In refusing bail to a 17-year-old Hurstville teenager, Bidura Children's Court Magistrate Paul Mulroney said he was concerned the youth may commit further crimes.
Police said the teenager climbed a pole and stole a flag from the Brighton-le-Sands RSL club on December 11.
They allege the flag was sprayed with accelerant and set alight.
The youth and his co-accused, a 24-year-old Penshurst man, were each charged yesterday with one count of entering a building with the intent of committing an indictable offence and one of malicious damage by fire.
The teenager's lawyer Maria Lynch today applied for bail on her client's behalf, saying the youth had not been involved in violence and was under "pressure" to commit the offence.
However Police Prosecutor Gary Charlesworth said the 17-year-old's behaviour was "inflammatory" and "retaliatory in nature".
Magistrate Mulroney said the 17-year-old, who pleaded guilty to the charges, had a criminal history and could not be granted bail.
"My concern is that he will commit further serious offences," he said.
The case was adjourned to January 10 for sentencing.
The teenager's co-accused also was refused bail in Sutherland Local Court today.
Two other 17-year-olds, one from Cronulla and one from Lugarno, also faced Bidura Children's Court charged with riot and affray, relating to a December 11 incident.
Police allege two males were attacked by a crowd of people on a train stopped at Cronulla railway station.
Mr Charlesworth said both men were caught on video footage in the middle of the melee.
The court was shown a video in which the Cronulla youth is allegedly seen jumping on the seat of a train.
"The young person joined this assembly ... this abhorrent, horrendous attack within the train carriage," Mr Charlesworth told the court.
But the teenager's lawyer, Adam Morrison, said his client did not go to Cronulla to take part in the violence and there were no allegations of actual violence against him.
"He is not one of the people at the forefront jumping...," he told the court.
Mr Charlesworth said video footage also showed the Lugarno male punching people.
"He admitted he attempted to strike at one of the victims involved ..." he said.
But defence lawyer Adam Williamson said he was "swept away with events".
Although Mr Mulroney said the pair had committed "serious offences", he noted it was "unlikely" custodial sentences would be imposed.
Both were granted bail on the condition they accompany their parents at all times, adhere to a curfew, put down a security bond and stay away from Cronulla.
Their matters were adjourned to February 6.
The decisions came as Sydney councils said they did not believe the recent race-fuelled violence would keep revellers away from the beach this summer.
Sutherland Shire, Waverley and Manly councils say they will go ahead with their Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.
Since the news article didn't identify the cultural background of the perp, we are pretty well assured that he is an adherent of the Religion of Peace™.
ROPMA
> A MAN and a teenager are in custody tonight after facing court on charges of burning an Australian flag during Sydney's racial unrest.
I do not support burning the flag, under any circumstances short of Mutiny and Rebellion.
These Scroats should feel the full wrath of the judicial system.
That the flag was stolen from an RSL (veteran's) Club is an aggravating factor, probably worthy of a bare-arsed caning Singapore-style with a rattan.
When they don't name names, you can bet that at least one of them is named Mohammed.
My thoughts exactly.
They don't name names because they are minors. In NSW, minors are only very rarely named in criminal cases.
When adults are involved, the Australian media have generally name the people as soon as names become available.
Well, they could identify the MAN.
Now, refer to post #4.
He's co-accused with one of the minors and his name does not appear to have been released to the media. Normally in such cases that is because identifying him makes it more likely the minor would be identified.
The names of quite a number of people involved in these and similar incidents have been released and have been published in Australian newspapers regardless of what their names indicate about their likely ethnicity or religion. This is not being concealed or covered up - maybe that happens in the United States - I wouldn't know - but it's rare here.
Where names are not in the newspapers, it is generally because there is a special reason for them not to be released. The most common of these reasons is the fact that the accused or their co-accused are minors, or because the people have not yet faced court (named generally don't become available until a person fronts a magistrate).
Just to add to this - newspapers have actually been reminded in recent days to be more careful in naming the co-accused of minors following a case in one of Sydney's papers yesterday when an 18 year old was named despite having a 14 year old co-accused - incidentally both of those two are white.
I've seen several cases here in recent days of people assuming that because people weren't named in Australian papers that they must be Moslem - and when names have become available, the men were white.
These rules are applied without regard to race or religion. They are standard rules of the New South Courts. People will not normally be identified until they appear, and if they are minors or if revealing their identity could expose minors, names are still generally not released.
I don't agree with the latter policy - I think there are many situations where minors should be named - but it's not a cover up of religion or race. It's a general policy.
Sorry friend, but I can read.
From the article: A MAN and a teenager
Or are your own media afraid of getting it "Leb style"?
If you say so!
Ahh, it's "The devil Made Me Do It", defense. Brilliant!!
In cases where the media knows the religious background of those involved, they do mention it.
A few examples:
The search is on for answers. For their part, Muslims need to ask themselves why so many young Muslim men, not Muslim women, have problems; why some men of Australian Lebanese Muslim background seem to be so aggressive and violent.
- Sydney Morning Herald, 13th December 2005
This is not so much a clash of civilisations but, rather, a series of disputes between some aggressive Australians of Lebanese Muslim background and a group of aggressive (and drunk) Australians of Anglo-Celtic background.
- Sydney Morning Herald, 13th December 2005
When a group of young Lebanese Muslim men gang-raped Australian girls in Sydney some years ago, calling them "Aussie pigs" and promising to "f--- you Leb-style", the ethnicity of the perpetrators was given as much emphasis as their crime.
- The Age, 17th December 2005
Where ethnicity and religion are known, either specifically, or in general terms, they are quite often named in the Australian media. But when there is a situation where it is likely that the rioters include Lebanese Christians and well as Lebanese Muslims, they don't classify the whole group as Muslim. And there are Lebanese Christians involved (as well as Lebanese who would profess no religion). Less of them, by far - but there are some. The problems in Sydney come from Lebanese who haven't integrated - while Lebanese Christians have integrated far more than Lebanese Muslims, there are still some that have not - and some of these have been involved.
But in general terms, the media has quite often mentioned religion as a factor.
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