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Australian police prepare for more racial violence

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 02:53 CST

By Michael Perry

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Mobile telephone text messages calling for racial violence in four Australian states circulated on Wednesday, said police, as another major overnight security operation begun in Sydney to maintain peace in beachside suburbs.

More than 450 police took to the streets in Sydney, Australia's largest city, for a second night on Wednesday, erecting roadblocks to check drivers moving into areas of previous unrest, such as Cronulla Beach in the south.

Sydney's racial violence erupted at Cronulla last Sunday when some 3,000 people, some yelling racist chants, attacked people of Middle East appearance, saying they were defending their beach from Lebanese youth gangs.

Police said white supremacists incited violence at Cronulla.

Lebanese and Muslim youths retaliated with two nights of violence in several different beachside suburbs.

The burning to the ground of a church hall on Tuesday night, smashing of church windows and shots fired at a Catholic school, prompted authorities on Wednesday to say they would focus on places of worship to ensure they were safe from violence.

"Special attention will be paid to places of worship, our churches and our schools," said Morris Iemma, premier of the state of New South Wales (NSW).

"Obviously we have to be on guard for this, and these hooligans and criminals will not destroy the fabric of our society," Iemma told a news conference.

The NSW state parliament will hold an emergency sitting on Thursday to pass legislation giving police extra powers to allow them to "lockdown" suburbs and areas of unrest in Sydney and impose alcohol prohibition on areas.

TEXT CAMPAIGNS

Police said they were investigating text messages inciting racial violence in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

Some messages called for racial violence next Sunday, the one week anniversary of the unrest. Text messages were used to incite mob violence in Cronulla last weekend.

In a counter campaign, Lebanese and surfer gangs held "peace talks" at Maroubra Beach in Sydney on Wednesday and agreed to start a text message campaign calling for calm.

"There are certain individuals and they will be weeded out, they will be outcasts," Tony Nasr, from the Lebanese Christian Community, said after the meeting.

Surfer Nathan Rogers, from Maroubra's notorious "Bra Boys" gang, said: "The beaches are not anyone's turf, they should be open to everyone, no matter of ethnic background."

Similar "peace talks" between Muslim leaders and surfers will be held at Cronulla Beach on Wednesday night.

While Muslim women's groups urged a voluntary curfew on Arabic youths, calling for parents to keep their children home this Friday and Saturday night and all day Sunday.

The women urged parents to confiscate mobile telephones and car keys this weekend, when police will stage a major security operation to prevent a repeat of last weekend's violence.

"I urge community leaders to continue dialogue in an effort to defuse the aggression," said Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Goodwin.

But NSW Police Minister Carl Scully said police were preparing for more unrest this weekend.

"We expect further problems. We had more than 400 cops (police) last night. Expect hundreds on top of that on Saturday and Sunday," he said.

Source: REUTERS

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