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Asia-Pacific News
Sydney race riot leader flees
By DPA
Dec 27, 2005, 19:00 GMT

Sydney - A key player in the racially motivated violence that rocked Sydney\'s beach suburbs this month has fled in fear of his life, news reports said Tuesday.

The image of construction worker Glen Steele, wrapped in an Australian flag and screaming anti-Lebanese slogans, was broadcast widely during riots, which began December 11 and lasted several days.

Steele said he had gone into hiding as he feared for his family\'s safety after receiving death threats and hearing a contract had been taken out on his life, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Police have arrested 369 people in relation to the widespread violence between gangs of white and ethnic Lebanese youths.

Meanwhile, Muslim clerics would be subject to a new code of behaviour under guidelines being devised to rein in inflammatory language, The Australian newspaper reported.

Under the proposal, to be discussed at a special meeting of the government-backed Muslim Advisory Council in January, a board of imams would monitor sermons and set guidelines for religious figures.

\'Young people are gullible. They are ready to listen to people who have radical views,\' said Ameer Ali, who heads the council. \'There\'s an imam in Sydney ... who made a statement that there are girls in this country that deserve to be raped - that\'s all rubbish.\'

© 2005 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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