Racists run riot in Sydney
11/12/2005 10:15 - (SA)
Mike Corder
Sydney - Ethnic tensions erupted on Sunday into running battles between police and a mob of thousands of youths, many chanting racial slurs, at a beachside suburb in southern Sydney.
At least three people were arrested and several injured in alcohol-fuelled fights Television images showed police protecting an ambulance being pelted with beer bottles and a group of young women attacking another woman.
Other youths stamped on police vehicles and police officers fought back with batons and pepper spray.
The behaviour, "is nothing short of disgusting and disgraceful", said police assistant commissioner Mark Goodwin. "It's certainly not the Australian way."
"What has been occurring on some fronts is that people of Middle Eastern backgrounds that have been seen in the Cronulla area, a swarm of the crowd has approached these people with vile abuse, in the most un-Australian way," Goodwin said. "We have a number of reports of persons that have been assaulted."
A police spokesperson commenting on usual condition of anonymity said three men, aged 16, 29 and 34 were arrested and were being questioned after fights erupted among about
5 000 people who converged on Cronulla beach in southern Sydney. Attacks Many youths were carrying beer bottles, waving Australian flags and chanting racist slogans following reports that youths of Lebanese descent were responsible for last week's attack on two of the beach's life guards.
Earlier this week police boosted the number of officers patrolling the beach after cellphone text messages began circulating calling for retaliation for the attacks.
New South Wales political leader, Premier Morris Iemma, on Saturday warned police would deal with any trouble makers.
"Let there be no mistake - if anyone comes to this beach on the weekend with the intention of causing trouble, the police will respond with the full force of the law to maintain order," Iemma said. "It's time for everyone involved in this to just calm down."
Islamic Friendship Association of Australia president Keysar Trad said the violence was "bound to happen" after callers to some talk radio shows whipped up ethnic tensions following the attacks last weekend.
"Sections of the media took this issue far too far and one can only surmise that the way (these) issues was dealt with on talk back radio amounts to incitement," Trad said.
He said the media turned a dispute between youths into an issue of ethnicity.
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