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- Racial Unrest Hits Australia -

 

riots

 

Australian Youth Defend their Beach

- Lebanese Immigrants Harass

Beachgoers -

- Another local, Peter, said the huge show of force had been "coming for five or six

 years". He said: "Our girls can't get from the water to their towels without being

 threatened by these maggots." -
 

 

See original articles

 
http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,17598108%255E949,00.html


http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,17598113,00.html

Below are Articles and Photos from the February 16, 2004 Riot in Sydney, Australia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3491299.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3491687.stm

 

 

Bloody Sunday: Why the Sydney riots are more than

JUST racism

The Sunday Times, Australia

December 18, 2005


Understanding the vitriol and violence of what has happened in Sydney this week is understanding two different cultures and communities. Andrew Cornwell looks at where it all spiralled out of control and if it can be stopped.


Last Sunday's display of racial hate and violence has put the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla squarely on a global map of notoriety. It has also divided a community – people who delighted in the description of their environment as "God's own country".


Thousands of visitors flock to Cronulla every summer because of its idyllic beach, relaxed culture, chic restaurants and family atmosphere. In some ways Cronulla is similar to Perth's Leighton Beach – it doesn't have the fame of Bondi, but is a magnet for families and has a strong, passionate local flavour.


It is also easy to access, with a train line and roads right to the sand. But as last Sunday's violence demonstrated, Cronulla has a less salubrious side. "The Insular Peninsula" is a tag commonly applied to Cronulla and, in general, the Sutherland Shire. But rather than be offended, many residents appear to thrive on it, largely because the word insular is traditionally linked with such proud words as patriotism and parochialism.


But search for insular in a thesaurus, and words such as bigoted, prejudiced and global can also apply. The latter word, global, is exactly where Sunday's riots at the sleepy seaside suburb ended, putting Cronulla and its surrounds smack on the map of racial hot spots, alongside Paris, Los Angeles and Brixton.


It was anything but insular. In the south London suburb of Brixton, on November 25, 1981, Britain experienced its worst racial violence with more than 300 people injured and damage estimated at $7.5 million. Last month, Paris was hit by rioting that left hundreds of vehicles torched and buildings burnt out. Los Angeles was hit in 1991-92 after the beating of black motorist Rodney King and the acquittal of four white police officers.


Last Sunday began as a show of solidarity, with thousands of locals draping themselves in Australian flags and calling for peace in their beachside suburb. A warning of the events to come was the appearance of dozens of flags, including the Eureka flag, leading into Cronulla.


By noon the beachfront concourse at North Cronulla resembled a summer cricket crowd with thousands of bare-chested locals chanting and drinking. A group of mates ran a sausage sizzle from the back of their ute, [a "ute" is a pickup truck] blasting out Aussie favourites by AC/DC and Cold Chisel.


As the beer flowed the day began to turn ugly. Cries of "f--- off Leb" goaded the crowd. ["Leb" is short for the Muslim, Arab Lebanese immigrants] Surfers, bikies, white supremacists and even families with young children joined in the chants. Up to 150 police, including the dog squad and a helicopter, were positioned to cope with the 5000-strong crowd. As more beer flowed the huge crowd became violent, roaming the streets in search of a target for their anger.


Threats had been made since two volunteer lifesavers were bashed eight days earlier – and the mob was looking to get square. Few youths of Middle Eastern appearance came to Cronulla, but those who did became victims of mob justice. "I'm an Australian, I was born here," one of them told locals who had taunted him with chants of "Kill Lebs". Minutes later, he was left covered in blood, punched to the ground and kicked, before being led to safety by police. Two girls of Middle Eastern appearance were also pushed to the ground and pelted with beer bottles as police tried to rescue them.


"What the Lebs did last week was low and it's time we showed a bit of pride towards where we live," said Luke O'Brien, a volunteer lifesaver. Another local, Peter, said the huge show of force had been "coming for five or six years". He said: "Our girls can't get from the water to their towels without being threatened by these maggots."


According to some residents, Cronulla will not be remembered solely for the uprising of Sunday, December 11. It is the show of racial hatred that will continue to plague the suburb. For Jade, 32, a resident of 18 years, the riot brought to the surface years of racial misunderstanding. "It sickens me, it makes me so sad. It was so ugly and it's not what the Shire is about," she said. I know how some people feel when they say they feel intimidated and hassled by these ethnic groups, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that.


"I think there is an underlying culture of covert racism." Beauty therapist Beck Dwyer, 30, said: "People are going to hate Cronulla now. It has given us a bad name. This is only the beginning." Chris Wallace, whose sister Jodi was one of six local women killed in the 2002 Bali bombings, was a long-time resident of Cronulla before moving to Coffs Harbour.


Sunday's violence was the end result of years of simmering tension in the area, he said, but he ruled out a connection between it and the terror attack that claimed his sister's life. "This violence, while I understand it without condoning it, shows that there is racism on both sides," he said. Lifetime resident Danny Hanley, who lost his two daughters in the Bali blast, said the violence stemmed from many "crimes against ordinary Australians".


"It wasn't just about what's been happening down at Cronulla Beach, it is a culmination of so many things over so many years," Mr Hanley said. He said the gang rapes by Lebanese Muslims in Sydney in 2000, along with the Bali bombs, had affected his view of certain sections of society. "Because of Bali and the rapes, I'm not sympathetic towards Muslims and I don't think many people are," he said.


Federal Liberal backbencher Bruce Baird, whose Cook electorate takes in Cronulla, also linked the violence with Bali. He believes tensions have been simmering in the primarily Anglo-Saxon community against people of Middle-Eastern descent for some time. Asked if the riots were revenge for Bali and September 11, Mr Baird said: "I think so."
 

 

 


 


Timeline of Terror

This is how the ethnic violence has developed in New South Wales

in the past two weeks.

The Sunday Times, Australia

Sunday, Dec 11, 1.30pm: A youth of Middle Eastern descent is chased from a park to local Northies Hotel and assaulted.


2.30pm: Scuffles break out outside the hotel between groups of Middle-Eastern and Caucasian males.


3pm: A brawl breaks out at a train station after word spread of a Lebanese gang arriving. A Caucasian mob boards a train and bashes two Middle-Eastern males until police intervene.


4.20pm: A crowd of 5000 Caucasians gathers at North Cronulla Surf Club's car park. Six males are hurt.


4.35pm: Paramedics treating five Middle-Eastern people have their vehicle pelted with bottles and rocks. Violence spreads to Woolooware, Miranda, Maroubra, Coogee, Brighton-Le-Sands, Rockdale and Punchbowl.


Monday, Dec 12: Up to 100 Middle-Eastern youths rampage through Maroubra, damaging 60 cars in retaliation for the Cronulla riots.


Tuesday, Dec 13: Sixteen people charged over the Cronulla riots are freed on bail, fuelling further anger.


Wednesday, Dec 14: Religious violence erupts as a Catholic primary school is sprayed with gunfire, Auburn's Uniting Church hall is burned down and windows in St Thomas Anglican Church are smashed. Police in other states, including WA, intercept text messages calling for Australia-wide racial violence.

"What the Lebs did last week was low and it's time we showed a bit of pride towards where we live," said Luke O'Brien, a volunteer lifesaver.

 

 



 

Rioters in Redfern

 

Aborigines Riot in Sydney, Australia on

 

 February 16, 2004





 

Comment:

The events that are unfolding in Cronulla, Australia (a suburb of Sydney) indicate that multi-culturalism is not a good idea. One can only hope that the Australian government will recognize this and change their immigration policies. One has to hold out the same hope for America, as well.

Racial unrest is not new to Australia as the photograph above demonstrates. In February of 2004, the Aborigines rioted after one of them died in a bicycle accident. The Aborigines claimed that the Aboriginal youth was being chased by police when he was killed, and their response to the youth's death was to riot. This is exactly the way that African Americans would react to such a situation.

The events from earlier this month demonstrate that you can only push a people so far before they stand up and defend their way of life. The best way to avoid violence is to make sure that such situations do not arise, and this can be done by passing appropriate immigration laws. We wish the people of Australia well in their campaign to protect the healthy lifestyle that they have maintained over the years.

Yours Faithfully, Liberty

 

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