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15.12 / 10:05 Church
fire follows Sydney beach riot
SYDNEY. December 15. KAZINFORM - A
church hall was set ablaze and shots were fired near a primary
school in Sydney yesterday, fuelling fears of an escalation in
violence between ethnic Arabs and whites. Hundreds of officers
were sent to potential trouble spots after Sunday’s race
riots on a beach popular with white Australians and men of
Arab descent. Gangs of Lebanese men retaliated by rampaging
through suburban streets and attacking cars and buildings,
Kazinform cites The Times.
Morris Iemma, the premier of New South Wales, said that police
would pay special attention to places of worship and schools.
“We have to be on guard for this. These hooligans will not
destroy the fabric of our society,” he said.
Mr Iemma said that a 500-strong riot squad would be deployed
to deal with racially inspired violence. He introduced new
laws giving police special powers to lock down parts of Sydney
and search and confiscate vehicles, a move aimed at ending
“smash and bash” raids involving carloads of youths of
Middle Eastern origin.
Yesterday’s fire in a church hall next to an Islamic centre
in the suburb of Macquarie Fields, and an incident at a
primary school in Auburn where parents were abused at a carol
concert and shots fired into cars, represents a dangerous
escalation of this week’s unrest. Police could not confirm
if the fire was linked to the violence.
Peace talks were held between representatives of Middle
Eastern communities and surf groups in the beachside suburb of
Cronulla, where last weekend’s running battles began. They
issued a joint declaration calling for an end to the clashes.
Sources insisted that there were no ringleaders organising the
violence and said that text messages were being sent urging an
end to it.
Brad Whittaker, a local surfer, apologised for the behaviour
of some white Australians last Sunday. “The day began as a
show of solidarity against behaviour of ethnic gangs that have
been harassing the public on our beaches over a period of
seven years,” he explained. “It escalated out of control
under the influence of right-wing racists from outside this
community and alcohol.”
Representatives of the wider Arab community called for a
weekend curfew to stop further racial violence. Parents were
urged to keep their children at home after 9pm on Friday and
Saturday and all day Sunday.
Elie Nassif, of the Lebanese Community Council, said that the
measures would help to ease tensions. “We have to protect
Australia no matter whether you’re born here or you come
from overseas.”
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