Strewth! "White Australia" rears its head

SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Racial tension erupted into violence on a Sydney beach on Sunday when around 5,000 people, some yelling racist chants, attacked youths of a Middle Eastern background, saying they were defending their stretch of beach.

Thousands of local surfers and beachgoers gathered at Cronulla Beach after two young lifesavers were attacked last Sunday by a group of young men from Sydney's western suburbs.

Drunken youths chased and attacked Australians of Middle East appearance at the beach in Sydney's south, sending some cowering into shops and hotels for safety, as riot police and dog squads tried to stop the violence.

By Sunday night, violence had spread to a second beach, Maroubra, where men armed with baseball bats smashed cars. Police said a man was stabbed in the back in south Sydney in what media reports said appeared to be further racial violence.

As the crowd moved along the beach and foreshore, one man on the back of a truck shouted: "No more Lebs (Lebanese)" -- a chant picked up by the group around him. Others carried Australian flags and dressed in Australian sports shirts.

"This is Australia, if they don't like it they can go home," local resident Allan told reporters as he watched the violence.

Police arrested 12 people for offensive behaviour and assault and blocked roads into Cronulla Beach, which was littered with broken beer bottles.

"The behaviour that has been seen down here at Cronulla today is nothing short of disgusting and disgraceful. It is certainly not the Australian way," said Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Goodwin. He said some of those attacked were of Arabic background but had been born in Australia.

Cronulla resident Tertia Harry wept as she watched the violence. "I would expect scenes like this in South Africa but not here," she told reporters. "In 2005, there should not be this disgusting display of racism."

Cronulla Beach was the scene of an attack on two lifeguards last week and a brawl later in the week in which youths turned on a media crew.

Following the attacks on the volunteer lifesavers, a mobile telephone text campaign started, calling on Cronulla locals to rally this Sunday to protect their beach.

In response, a text campaign urged youths from western Sydney to be at Cronulla this Sunday to protect their mates.

All week police and politicians have been calling for calm.

Sydney's Islamic community blamed the violence at Cronulla Beach on "racist and irresponsible" sections of the media which turned a common youth issue into an issue of ethnicity.

"Innocent people have been bashed as a result of this simmering racial hatred," said Kaysar Trad, president of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia.


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Romper stomper, eh?

No justification but there's been an increasing amount of reports of an imminent terrorist attack in Australia by Islamic terrorists. There has been a correlation in the US and UK between a rise in racism against people from the Middle East particularly and the increased terrorist threat.

Most Australians with a Lebanese background are Maronite or Orthodox Christian. Still that won't stop some people making presumptions about Mid-East types.

All parties better come to an agreement soon, don't Australians go to the beach for the holidays. Or is that just a stereotype.

I will presume to trust the Islamic community leader blaming the media for stirring things up.

Here is more .... :eek:

Holy sh!t ... Nazi surfers !!

Rack off ya dagg !!

Where is Alf Stewart when you need him ??

A picture tells a thousand words !!

Reaction to the bit of biff !!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HarpoJoyce

Most Australians with a Lebanese background are Maronite or Orthodox Christian. Still that won't stop some people making presumptions about Mid-East types....
I will presume to trust the Islamic community leader blaming the media for stirring things up.

---

I don't have the figures but would be very suprised if Aussie Lebanese are not predominantly muslim, purely on the basis that I know alot of leb muslims but not many (maybe one???) Christian. Hardly scientific, I know but...


Interesting article here regarding the media

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...236005956.html


Blame the Aussie red-neck element, goaded on by the neo-facist element. Cronulla is a white 'ghetto' with less than 10% of its dwellers from a non Anglo or celtic background. Thick, ignorant, grogged up and fired up by the media. Disgraceful.

I found that racism is rife in Australia. Derogotry remarks about Aboriginies and other ethnic minorities are common place. The way the indigenous Aborigines have been treated and still are treated over there is an absolute disgrace.

I agree.
Australia is one of the most racist countries Ive ever been in.
I have friends from there who have been all over the world, spending a
shed load of time in Africa but the still go on about "my black mate John"
etc, instead of just calling him my mate John, and call Aboriginies "fcukin
headhunters"

Worst thing is most of them dont realise, or dont want to realise, that
racism is rife!

Are theses people just pure thick?
They are all immigrants the only true Australians are the Aboriginies.

strewth. I thought aussie were all a dead on happy bunch of people. They have some really racist undertones. Boo australia

Shocking scenes on the news over the last few days. Looked like Alabama in the 1960's, rather than a major world city in the 21st Century.

I've never been to Aus, but the Aussies are well known for being as rascist as they come. However - I'd always been led to believe that the population of the big cities were generally more liberal, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

The stuff some of those DJ's etc have been saying on air would be a criminal ofence anywhere else. Aussies just find that sh!t funny....

Does anyone know how well integrated Australia is ? I know that the soccer teams have always been very strongly associated with certain ethnic groupings - but that was more an historical reflection of the indigenous Aussies lack of interest in the sport. The new teams in the new national league are seeing an end to that tribalism.

There's a beautiful irony in having people who's country was only discovered 200 years ago, and who's indigenous population was virtually wiped-out with the remainder treated like animals ever since, complaining about people coming into 'their' country. Priceless...

Hopefully this'll cause people to wake up a bit to the type of country they've created - but judging from the reactions I don't think they're learning anything from this...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Does anyone know how well integrated Australia is ? I know that the soccer
teams have always been very strongly associated with certain ethnic
groupings - but that was more an historical reflection of the indigenous
Aussies lack of interest in the sport. The new teams in the new national
league are seeing an end to that tribalism.

---

Before the Hyundi A League was set up for this season the old national
league was very much ethnic based. In Sydney alone there was
- Sydney Olympic: the team from the Greek populated suburbs. formerly
known as Sydney Sharks they re named to Olympic after Olympiakos.
- Sydney United: formerly known as Sydney Croatia were set up in a
Croatian populated suburb. Mark Viduka played for them.
- Marconi Stallions: are in an Italian neighborhood
- Paramatta Power: a distant suburb but mainly an Italian/Greek combo.

Part of the reason the new league has only 1 team per city is cos there
was often violence at these games due to the clubs ethnic background
and so they wanted to put an end to it. Some of the clubs still exist but
are back in Junior/Intermediate level. I think Paramatta folded even though
they weer by far the best team last season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Does anyone know how well integrated Australia is ? I know that the soccer teams have always been very strongly associated with certain ethnic groupings - but that was more an historical reflection of the indigenous Aussies lack of interest in the sport. The new teams in the new national league are seeing an end to that tribalism.

---

From a friend's blog:
http://www.xanga.com/poebae/388844045/item.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John83

From a friend's blog:
http://www.xanga.com/poebae/388844045/item.html

---

That suggests to me that they do have integration problems - or else your friend wouldn't have felt the need to draw attention to it !

It's like the French making a big deal about their 'rainbow team' when they won the World Cup - purelt because it WAS a big deal to have such a mixture of cultures, colours and creeds united under the banner of 'France'. Fast forward 7 years, and they had major race-riots throughout the country...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by finlma

I found that racism is rife in Australia. Derogotry remarks about Aboriginies and other ethnic minorities are common place. The way the indigenous Aborigines have been treated and still are treated over there is an absolute disgrace.

---

Thing is .... Aboriginies are involved in it too .... against the Lebs .... there is a clip (just looked for it again and cant find it) of an aboriginies going up into a news camera and saying "Its about bloody time !!" .... i think they are kinda píssed off too !!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Shocking scenes on the news over the last few days. Looked like Alabama in the 1960's, rather than a major world city in the 21st Century.

I've never been to Aus, but the Aussies are well known for being as rascist as they come. However - I'd always been led to believe that the population of the big cities were generally more liberal, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

The stuff some of those DJ's etc have been saying on air would be a criminal ofence anywhere else. Aussies just find that sh!t funny....

Does anyone know how well integrated Australia is ? I know that the soccer teams have always been very strongly associated with certain ethnic groupings - but that was more an historical reflection of the indigenous Aussies lack of interest in the sport. The new teams in the new national league are seeing an end to that tribalism.

There's a beautiful irony in having people who's country was only discovered 200 years ago, and who's indigenous population was virtually wiped-out with the remainder treated like animals ever since, complaining about people coming into 'their' country. Priceless...

Hopefully this'll cause people to wake up a bit to the type of country they've created - but judging from the reactions I don't think they're learning anything from this...

---

Looks like your Muslim mates are causing trouble again!!!:eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Condex

Looks like your Muslim mates are causing trouble again!!!:eek:

---

Ahhh Condex - what a surprise to see you turning-up on a thread related to ethnic tension. You finished tarred and feathering for the night....?

As was mentioned earlier, a large section of the population of Lebanon is actually Christian. At the last census, the country was majority Christian - though that was 1932, which shows you how the country has declined administratively. It is predicted now that 65-70% of the country is Muslim - due to both inward migration of Muslims from elsewhere in the Middle East, and an exodus of Christians to Westernised countries over the years. Of the 2 major waves of Lebanese migration to Australia in the 20th Century, for example, 73% of those involved were Christians. So again, as was mentioned earlier - you'll find that most of those of Lebanese origin/descent in Australia are actually CHRISTIANS !

Still - I'd hate to see your campaign for white-christian supremacy miss out on a cheap shot like this purely on the basis of factual inaccuracy.

Careful with that burning cross now....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Condex

Looks like your Muslim mates are causing trouble again!!!:eek:

---

Where's that?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Ahhh Condex - what a surprise to see you turning-up on a thread related to ethnic tension. You finished tarred and feathering for the night....?

As was mentioned earlier, a large section of the population of Lebanon is actually Christian. At the last census, the country was majority Christian - though that was 1932, which shows you how the country has declined administratively. It is predicted now that 65-70% of the country is Muslim - due to both inward migration of Muslims from elsewhere in the Middle East, and an exodus of Christians to Westernised countries over the years. Of the 2 major waves of Lebanese migration to Australia in the 20th Century, for example, 73% of those involved were Christians. So again, as was mentioned earlier - you'll find that most of those of Lebanese origin/descent in Australia are actually CHRISTIANS !

Still - I'd hate to see your campaign for white-christian supremacy miss out on a cheap shot like this purely on the basis of factual inaccuracy.

Careful with that burning cross now....

---

No, I'm not religous at all and I play a couple of games of football a week with teams comprised of people from all parts of the world, so I wouldn't consider myself racist either..

Take a look to see various opinions...
http://blogs.smh.com.au/thecontraria...am_the_pr.html

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Condex

... I wouldn't consider myself racist either..

---

Really ?

So laying blame for the actions of a largely Christian people at the feet of the Muslim community doesn't strike you as a questionable thing to do ?? :confused: So questionable that it leaves your motives open to suspicion ? Suspicion that can logically conclude that only a rascist would deliberately ignore facts that they were clearly aware of (as they're stated in Paragraph 2 of the article you yourself posted) to blame a community that they have previously sought to vilify for an act that you know full-well they were not responsible for ?

We've seen your 'interesting' views on Islam before on the thread about the recent trouble in France. Now you're implicating Muslims for something that was a clash of Christian cultures.

Or did you conveniently skip over the bit in the 2nd paragraph of that article that states that the majority of Australia's Lebanese are Christians...?

Maybe you don't see yourself as rascist. But then, maybe Hitler didn't either....