Race warfare divides city
Jennifer Sexton and David King
December 13, 2005 The Australian
DISTURBING text messages promising violent retribution and "war" are being circulated to both "tribes" involved in race-based riots along Sydney's suburban beach strip.
As police promised to hunt down suspected right-wing instigators of the violent outbreaks, debate raged over the reasons behind the vicious assaults.
John Howard was forced to reject suggestions government warnings about homegrown terrorists fuelled the rampage, as academics blamed talkback radio and the influence of Pauline Hanson's One Nation.
Text messages were again stirring violence in Sydney last night, with as many as 3000 people massing outside Lakemba mosque in the city's west.
There were reports the gathering was heavily divided on whether to take revenge for weekend bashings of people of Middle Eastern descent in the southern suburb of Cronulla, scene of Sunday's race riots. Despite the presence of dozens of police, who set up roadblocks and warned pedestrians to avoid the area, carloads of youths left the gathering, headed for Cronulla.
Police said they had confiscated "cricket bats, rocks and bits of steel" hidden in a park near the beachside suburb of Maroubra, which was hit by the first revenge attacks late on Sunday night.
Police, who set up a 24-hour command unit ready to deploy tactical units in force to any troublespot, fear both sides are preparing for a massive confrontation next Sunday, with Cronulla and Maroubra considered the most likely flashpoints.
One text message circulating yesterday in Sutherland Shire, which includes Cronulla, said: "Good work for the efort we put in at 'nulla. But the wogs came back and stabbed one of our people! ... We'll show them! It's on again Sunday."
A rival text message said: "The aussies will feel the full force of the arabs as one ... brothers in arms unite now ... let's show them who's boss ... destroy."
As white supremacist groups admitted involvement, political, religious and community leaders united in condemnation of the violence, which started when a mob of 5000 people in Cronulla turned on people of Middle Eastern descent.
Of the 14 men and two youths arrested on a total of 42 charges - including assault, affray, malicious damage and possession of a knife - 12 were from Sutherland Shire, one was from Bondi Junction and three were from southwest and western Sydney suburbs.
A further three men face charges of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a 20-year-old man from Gymea Bay at 10.30pm on Sunday at Woolooware, near Cronulla. Last night the victim was in a stable condition.
Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Goodwin said police were aware of fresh text messages urging violence next weekend.
"Let me give you assurance that risk assessments are being conducted on all intelligence we are receiving," Mr Goodwin said.
Far-Right groups accused of links to neo-Nazis have admitted mobilising more than 100 people to join the mob of drunken people on the rampage at Cronulla.
Three ultra right-wing organisations - Australia First, the Patriotic Youth League and the Newcastle-based skinhead group Blood and Honour - handed out pamphlets at the rally.
Jim Saleam, NSW secretary of Australia First, said his members had recruited up to 120 people, but he denied any involvement in violence and said his group played no part in the text message campaign. "Rather than say that one supports what people did, all I'd say to you is: I wouldn't condone it, but I wouldn't condemn it," Dr Saleam said.
The NSW Government, stunned by the ferocity of Sunday's attacks, launched measures to combat a feared escalation.
Premier Morris Iemma announced the creation of a special taskforce to hunt down suspected right-wing instigators, and raised the possibility of recalling parliament to give police more powers. "I will do whatever is needed," he told a news conference.
Police Commissioner Ken Moroney promised a review of tactics -- even the possibility of using water cannons -- to break up unruly crowds.
"We have witnessed this weekend amongst the worst violence that I have ever seen in my policing service of 40 years," Mr Moroney said. "Never in my working life did I ever imagine a mob, a drunken mob, turning on a woman, an innocent woman, who happened to stray into their path."
Ethnic politics academic James Jupp, from the Australian National University, said people in the area had seen a resurgence of nationalist, racist politics.
"People don't normally walk around with an Australian flag in their pocket," he said, adding that 10 years of talkback radio incitement in Sydney, and Cronulla's unique position as a "white ghetto", were to blame.
NSW Police Minister Carl Scully said a small number of white supremacists were involved.
"There appears to be an element of white supremacists and they really have no place in mainstream Australian society."
But while the Prime Minister, who is heading off on a trip to Asia, warned of the dangers of "tribalism", he repeatedly deflected questions of whether Sunday's violence involved racism.
"I do not accept there is underlying racism in this country," Mr Howard told journalists.
NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam challenged the Government to recall parliament this week to introduce tougher laws.
He claimed the Government was in denial in not realising that many communities were controlled by ethnic gangs, and called for the end of a "softly, softly approach" by police. Mr Moroney denied that his officers had taken such an approach to crowd control or that they had miscalculated the anger in Cronulla.
Fadi Rahman, who runs the Icra Youth Centre at Lidcombe, said a "racial vendetta" was at the centre of the violence and that revenge attacks would continue. "Unless something is done, this is going to turn into another Paris riot," Mr Rahman said.
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