Jump to content

2005 Cronulla riots

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 60.48.48.45 (talk) at 06:36, 14 December 2005. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The 2005 Sydney race riots were a series of violent race riots that occurred in several suburbs of Sydney, Australia, starting on Sunday 11 December, 2005, and continuing over three consecutive nights. The violence was first reported in Cronulla and later spread to other suburbs throughout the Sydney Metropolitan Area. The riots were the first in history to be incited by means of text messaging.

Lead-up to the incidents

Cronulla surf life savers club building

On Sunday 4 December 2005, a group of male youths of Lebanese descent were playing soccer on a Cronulla beach when the North Cronulla surf lifesavers asked them to stop, as it was disturbing other users of the beach. The response from the youths was allegedly: "Get off our beach. This is our beach. We own it." Shortly thereafter either two or three surf lifesavers were assaulted. [1] Youths of Lebanese descent were alleged to be the culprits, but police say there was no apparent racial motive behind that assault. [2] Reports of sexual harrassment and intimidation of female beach-goers by gangs of Lebanese youths subsequently emerged. [3]. Such harassment by Muslim youths had been reported in the area over a period of 15 years.

During the following week, from Monday 5 December to 10 December 2005, tensions simmered:

  • An SMS text message was circulated urging retaliation. The text message encouraged "Aussies" to take revenge against "Lebs and Wogs", and said "Bring your mates and let's show them that this is our beach and they are never welcome". It encouraged meeting on Sunday 11 December. [4] The SMS message, and its content, was widely disseminated through talkback radio and other media.
  • On 7 December there were ongoing stories in the media about people who had been harassed and assaulted at Cronulla beach by Lebanese groups [5].
  • On Thursday 8 December, the Premier of New South Wales (NSW), Morris Iemma, urged people not to take the law into their own hands [6].
  • Throughout the week, popular Sydney radio personality Alan Jones, known for his inflammatory comments, urged a "community show of force". [7]
  • On Saturday 10 December, Cronulla beach was unusually deserted despite the summer heat, and under-18 volunteers were relieved from local lifesaver patrols.

Mob violence at Cronulla

"No Lebs" handwritten on t-shirt.

On Sunday 11 December 2005, prior to the outbreak of violence, a crowd estimated by media and police sources of at least 5,000 people gathered at Cronulla beach[8]. Elements in the local community had called for the community gathering in response to the previous weekend's reported assault by several individuals of presumed Lebanese ancestry on two or three Cronulla beach surf lifesavers[9]. According to ABC News, the initially festive atmosphere rapidly became violent:

"Earlier in the day the atmosphere had been party-like despite the large crowd, which some estimates say numbers 5,000 people. That changed when a man of Middle Eastern appearance was chased into a hotel bistro. Within a minute the hotel was surrounded by several thousand people screaming and chanting. About a half an hour later a fight broke out across the road and police led away a man with a shirt over his head as the crowd lobbed beer cans at him". [10]

Many demonstrators wore clothing with slogans such as "Wog Free Zone", "Aussie Pride", "Ethnic Cleansing Unit", and "Love Nulla Fuck Allah". Chants of "Lebs out", "Lebs go home" and other expressions were continuously shouted by many of the demonstrators, including families with young children. Various extreme right-wing and nationalist organisations such as Australia First and the Patriotic Youth League were present at the demonstrations, handing out leaflets advocating their causes. The Patriotic Youth League made news in 2004 for inciting attacks on Sudanese and Chinese students at the University of Newcastle campus, and are known also for dissemination of homophobic as well as racist materials. However, the large number of people present suggests that these demonstrations appealed to a broad range of people, most of whom have no connection to right-wing or nationalist organizations.

Through the course of the day, several individuals of Middle Eastern "appearance" were assaulted, including a Greek girl and a Jewish boy. Police and ambulance workers were also assaulted by groups of young men throwing beer bottles. [11][12]

Several dozen people were treated for minor cuts and bruises, while six individuals were evacuated under police escort to be assessed by doctors. One was further evacuated to St. George Hospital, in serious but stable condition. [13][14]

Police response

Police observing protestors

While police at Cronulla had commented that they were prepared to deal with any violence at Cronulla beach at the time the SMS message suggested, local police were in fact overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who turned up to the beach on 11 December. The local police officers were being assaulted, along with Lebanese and Middle Eastern people. Many police used riot equipment, including capsicum spray to subdue their attackers and had to call for reinforcements from the Miranda police station. Police moved to protect several individuals targeted by the crowds, using capsicum spray to subdue several rioters. Elouera Road was temporarily closed to traffic.[15]

On the evening of the 11th, the Sydney Morning Herald quoted an New South Wales Police spokesman as saying that seven people had been arrested, with charges filed against four individuals.[16] By the morning of the 12th, "news.com.au" reported twelve arrests total. Charges included assaulting police, throwing a missile, offensive behaviour, hindering police, and resisting arrest.[17]

Reactions and retaliation

Reactions

On Monday 12 December 2005, political, community, and religious leaders condemned the violence. Some politicians and other leaders have alluded to underlying racism within Australian society, whilst others have condemned the violence as "thuggish", criminal and alcohol-fuelled behaviour. Ken Moroney, Police Commissioner of NSW, told the Sydney Morning Herald that he was ashamed at the "mob mentality" of the rally. He further elaborated:

"The other equally offensive conduct today, the absolutely total un-Australian conduct today, was an attack on an ambulance. That has brought a higher level of shame to those involved in that level of attack and they deserve to be condemned in the highest possible terms."[18]

Keysar Trad, president of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, stated that the violence was "bound to happen" because of racist rhetoric on Sydney talk radio throughout the week.[19]

Prime Minister John Howard condemned the riots, describing the violence as "sickening", adding however that he does not believe racism to be widespread in Australia. Opposition leader Kim Beazley also condemned the violence.

Bruce Baird, Member of Parliament for the Division of Cook, speculated that the riots were "revenge" for the September 11 terrorist attacks and the 2002 Bali bombings in which six locals had been killed. He also claimed that that racial hatred had been building for some time, and that the area had seen several high profile incidents of rape. [20] This is in addition to the long-standing hooliganism of Lebanese immigrants at the beach.

On 12 December a police strike force was established to track down those responsible for the riots using video and photo evidence.

The New South Wales State Parliament was recalled by the Premier on Tuesday, 13 December, to increase police powers in regard to the riots. The new powers may include the closing of alcohol outlets and the confiscation of motor vehicles.

Retaliation

On the evening of the 11th, cars and windows in Maroubra and Rockdale, were vandalised. [21] Several instances of property damage at the Rockdale railway station were reported. It appears that this was retaliation to the violence against people of Middle Eastern appearance in Cronulla, and was perpetrated by people of middle eastern appearance.

By 1AM on 12 December, violence had also spread to Brighton Le Sands, where police wearing riot gear sectioned off Bay Street in a confrontation with a crowd. [22]

The violence then spread to Ashfield in Sydney City's Inner West, as well as suburbs in Greater Western Sydney, with outbreaks in Bankstown and Punchbowl.[23]

Continued violence

On Monday 12 December, there were initially reports of new text messages circulating, leading to concern over fresh violence at Cronulla. [24]

Various news sources later reported around a thousand people gathering outside Sydney's Lakemba mosque on Monday night. Residents claimed they were there to defend the Mosque against attacks from Southern gangs, as had been threatened by the white demonstrators. Others pointed out that the Muslim rioters gathered at the mosque simply to regroup and coordinate fresh attacks on the local Australian community. The crowd had started to disperse at 9:30pm [25][26], but the Seven Network has reported that some then packed into dozens of cars, travelling in convoys towards Sydney's southern district, while sporadically assaulting people and vandalising cars and property in Bexley and various other suburbs on their way.

Reports from Sydney Police Radio and news.com.au reported further violence on the night of 12 December, with residents of Cronulla reporting cars full of Middle Eastern men had driven into the area. The local shopping centre appeared to be a target for mobs, with several vehicles vandalised. The Muslim men "went on a rampage" while nearby residents prepared to defend their homes and families.

After the large 11 December riot, some youths from the Middle Eastern and Lebanese communities that had been attacked during December the 11th and 12th began to organise a series of retaliatory attacks. Public and police hopes that the violence would subside were dashed when, the first in a series of apparent retaliatory strikes, a 23-year-old white Australian man was stabbed at a golf club at the nearby Sydney suburb of Woolooware. Two cars carrying a group of males, described by police as being of "Middle Eastern" or Arab appearance, approached the man at about 10.25pm (AEDT) Sunday night. After the man confronted the group of men, they attacked him and stabbed him once in the lower back. The man was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition as he undergoes surgery.

At the same time, carloads of youths, mostly from the large Lebanese communities of western Sydney, made their way to the suburb of Maroubra, organised again by SMS text messages circulating throughout the community. Armed with baseball bats, crowbars and bricks they vandalised private property (including over 100 cars) throughout streets of Maroubra. Terrified residents took refuge in their homes, while others who tried to confront the gangs were attacked. A 23-year-old man was also injured during the unrest, as he was bashed by baseball-bat wielding youths, who attacked his car [27].

As of December 13 (AEST), the violence mob clashes have rocked Sydney suburbs for a second continous night. See this link for more information. REUTERS

Seven people were injured and dozens of cars severly damaged in a second night of racial violence that spread across Sydney, Australian police said on Tuesday, as they were given special powers to stop the unrest. Gangs of youths, mainly of Muslim backgrounds, again called for retaliation against the December 11 Cronulla riot. They attacked several people with baseball bats and threw rocks and projectiles at police patrols.

At Maroubra Beach, police said they found a stockpile of 30 Molotov cocktails and crates of rocks stockpiled on rooftops, as hundreds of local surfers gathered. Weapons such as iron bars, baseball bats, knives and even firearms are being found and confiscated.

"These criminals have declared war on our society and we are not going to let them win," Morris Iemma, premier of the state of New South Wales, said on Tuesday. "You will not take control of our streets," said Iemma, announcing police will be given "lockdown" powers which will allow them to prohibit entry into specified areas.

Police said this kind of unrest is unprecented in Australia. Australian media reported that mobile telephone text messages from Australians of "Anglo-Saxon" (Anglo's as they are commonly referred to) and as well as "Middle Eastern" backgrounds were both calling for revenge attacks to continue.

A Church Hall close to a Islamic Center in the inner-west suburb of Auburn was attacked on Tuesday night. Police believe it may be connected to the recent violence. Security is being stepped up at schools and places of worship in response. [28]

Fears of Further Violence

Police Commissioners and Authorities expect violence to again continue as signs of more retaliation and revenge are discovered, such as inflammatory SMS Messages be sent, youths gathering in cars and on streets and hidden stockpiles of weapons are found.

Amidst fears of a third night of violence in Sydney and perhaps continuing for the entire week, 450 police officers have been deployed in the city's suburbs, ready to respond to any violent youths or gangs. The New South Wales Deputy Commissioner of Police Andrew Scipione says that while they have no specific intelligence, Police expect more unrest tonight. He has also said that if needed he will seek assistance from police in other states, for extra resources and manpower.

The New South Wales Parliament have decided to recall on Thursday 15 December from their Christmas Holidays, to pass legislation giving police the power to order that bottle shops and hotels close down, lock down areas of suburbs with roadblocks and also the right to instantly confiscate weapons, search and impound cars. All of this is seen as directly in response to the Sydney Race Riots, seeing as how at present, police in New South Wales can ask bottle shop and hotel owners close their doors but can not force them to do so.

Police have also been aware that gangs of Lebanese and "Anglo" youths have been organizing retaliatory attacks and violence through SMS Messages, and that a message circulating throughout the Arabic Community is calling for another large-scale retaliatory riot at Cronulla beach, next Sunday (18 December AEST) . Another congratulated Australians for the fight against the Lebanese, but called for more attacks. "We'll show them! It's on again Sunday," the message said.

Police are expected to gear up and brace for more attack in the coming days in response to inflammatory actions and messages like these.

Many Political spokesmen and Analysts, such as NSW Premier Morris Iemma, Professor Michael Cyline and leaders of Islamic Communities such as Keysar Trad, say more violence will happen because of the on-going racial tensions. See BBC News for information of the long-term ethnic tensions in Sydney.

They percieve this state of conflict as a result of the years of brooding disagreements and hatred between the two main ethnic groups, Caucasian, "Anglo" Australians and "Middle Eastern", Lebanese and Muslim Australians. In the years after the September 11, 2001 Attacks on the World Trade Centers, many have felt the sense of fear created by terrorism has only heightened public awareness of Arabic Communities in Sydney and their on-going differences with white-Australians.

On the morning of the 14th of December 2005, local media reported that SMS text messages, inciting further racial riots, were being sent to mobile users in other states including Victoria and Queensland.

A volatile environment

A long history of violence

Beach-related violence is a phenomenon that has existed since at least the early 1960s, when the fights were between "westies" and "surfies". The book (and later film) Puberty Blues describes the violence of the local surfing culture. [29] Unlike most Sydney beaches, Cronulla is serviced by a rail station, making it a popular destination for beach-goers who live further away.

Violence in relation to the Lebanese gangs is race-based and widespread, according to the former Sydney detective Tim Priest:

"They and their associates have been involved in numerous murders over the past five years, many of them unprovoked fatal attacks on young Australian men for no other reason than that they are “Skips”, as they call Australians." [30]

Trouble in the shire

In April 2005, the NSW Parliament member for Cronulla Malcom Kerr spoke to the legislative assembly about law and order problems in that suburb, including a riot in the mall on Australia Day [31].

During the Labour Day long weekend at the start of October 2005, North Cronulla saw three police visits in one day to deal with a "large-scale stand-off" involving locals and gangs from other areas. [32]

References

See also

Wikinews has related news:
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2005_Cronulla_riots&oldid=31298705"