There were angry confrontations between police and youths Australian Prime Minister John Howard has called for ethnic and religious tolerance in the wake of race riots in Sydney over the weekend. Attacking people "on the basis of their race, their appearance [and] their ethnicity" was unacceptable, he said.
Thousands of young white men attacked people of Arabic and Mediterranean background on Cronulla Beach on Sunday.
The fighting injured more than 30 people, including police officers, and at least 16 people were arrested.
The clashes follow an assault on two lifeguards last week, reportedly by youths of Middle Eastern origin.
Mobile phone text messages began circulating after the incident, encouraging people to retaliate.
In pictures: Violence at the beach
Their revenge began on Sunday afternoon, when thousands of white youths converged on Cronulla Beach.
Chanting "No more Lebs [Lebanese]" and "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oi, Oi, Oi," mobs of drunken young men attacked anyone who looked like they might have come from the Middle East.
One Muslim woman had her headscarf ripped off, local media reported.
The violence then spread to other parts of Sydney, with retaliatory attacks by groups of youths of Middle East appearance, who stabbed one man and damaged dozens of cars.
Police have set up a special unit to track down those responsible.
New South Wales Police Minister Carl Scully said the trouble had been caused by a group of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists, who had stirred up the drunken crowd.
"Those sort of characters are best placed in Berlin 1930s, not in Cronulla 2005," Mr Scully told reporters.
'Sickening'
"Mob violence is always sickening and always to be unconditionally condemned," Mr Howard told reporters on Monday.
But he insisted that the weekend's violence did not signal a deeper problem within Australian society.
"I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country," he said.
"This nation of ours has been able to absorb millions of people from different parts of the world over a period of some 40 years and we have done so with remarkable success."
Mr Howard also denied that government warnings of home-grown Islamic militants had fuelled the riots.
"It is impossible to know how individuals react, but everything this government's said about home-grown terrorism has been totally justified," he said.
The Australian government has repeatedly warned about the risk of terrorism on Australian soil.
So far there has not been a major attack directly on the country, but Australians have been targets for militant attacks overseas in recent years, and last month 18 Muslim men were arrested in Sydney and Melbourne on terrorist charges.
Vivre sous occupation, c'est l'humiliation à chaque instant de sa vie ...
Résister à l'occupation, c'est vivre libre !Aujourd'hui Gaza, demain Al-Qods !
I saw that on TV. It´s terrible. It actually continued last night too.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2005 05:05 by cali.
Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.
Russell Baker
It's disgusting on both sides, and both sides should know better. If either side is going to claim to be better, let's just judge them by their actions, shall we?
I am really, really disgusted by this.
And to answer the question: No, in general les Australiens don't mind les arabes, in fact I've found them to be the most tolerant group of people I have come across (in comparison to Europeans and North Africans - in general). However, it's just when 'les arabes' (or a particularly stupid group of them who DO NOT represent 'les arabes' at all!) start harassing, insulting, threatening women and families in public places like they apparently have been in Sydney for quite some time, that problems start. Because, like anyone, 'les Australiens' don't generally like their women or families being attacked or spat on in public.
HOWEVER!!! What this particularly stupid group of australians (WHO DO NOT REPRESENT THE MAJORITY LET ME TELL YOU) decided to do and then actually did in rioting and attacking innocent people like that is just completely SHAMEFUL, STUPID, NASTY,and LOWER THAN LOW. I hope they get long jail terms, and I hope they are ashamed of themselves until their dying days. I expect that kind of behaviour maybe in Europe where people don't seem to know any better and grow up breathing and eating racism, or America where there's way too many food additives and a war going on, BUT IN AUSTRALIA????? THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER!!! If you learn anything growing up in this society, it is that racism is completely illogical and evil, especially where EVERYONE is an immigrant at some point in their family tree, and most people are mixed race / culture / heritage / etc and NOBODY USUALLY NOTICES. That kind of behaviour belongs to animals, not civilised human beings who have any modicum of self respect.
The police here deal with things like that, they don't just turn a blind eye etc, so heaven help them (or not) when they catch up with the people organising and comitting these crimes (on both sides).
It´s abvious what you said. I also said in the french forum that some of the lebaneses are also difficult to live with. I have also seen many of that kind of behaviour commited here, I mean treath and harassing attitude commited by some middle eastern. That off course does not justify those acts, we last saw in Australia. But just so that people get all the picture and not just some of it. Laure what some arabs need to learn is selfcriticism, and may be some denoncing of their bad behaviour toward others and not just criticise the others. The Arabs themselves hates the Arabs. Otherwise what drove them out of their countries?
cali
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2005 01:43 by cali.
Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.
Russell Baker
I try my best to avoid sweeping generalisations, such as the title of this thread! Hatred is everywhere and labelling people isn't right. It's a shame to have these event happen at such a time, when Arabs should be be working on cleaning thier image rather than fueling things up. I'm sure there are some who are rejoicing all this is happening, but i have faith in the good people on Earth to make the difference, be it on the arab side or the other sides. Peace will reign again! Yani
Sorry webmaster, I don't know any moroccans over here personally, but I think 'fossil' lives here, as does 'Ilhem2' (I think I have their pseudos right).
Australia is a big place, however, so what happens in one place is not always very obvious in the mood, behaviour etc., in other places.
I don't think so, the recent riots was lead mainly by a bunch of drunkards, they don't represent the maintream Australia. I have some Australian friends, they are friendly and kind. I have been also in Australia, it is a generous and truly multicultural country. when I was in Australia the governor of New Southa Wales was Mary Bashir, an Australian lady of Lebanese decent. One of Australia main writers is David Malouf, another Australian of Lebanese decent. The current premier of the state of Victoria, Steve Bracks, is also of Lebanese decent.
chargement...
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