Police in New South Wales are urging people to avoid some beaches this weekend, with the expectation of more ethnic violence in Sydney and other parts of the coast. many people are planning to bring weapons, including guns and baseball bats, to beaches to continue fighting. "The beaches that I mentioned specifically were Cronulla, Wollongong, Newcastle - in particular Nobby's Beach - the eastern beaches of Sydney, and more particularly Maroubra and Bondi, and Terrigal on the central coast," he said.
A large number of non-locals are going to be disappointed if they can't get to the beach: Police are investigating reports that interstate recruits ready to join in fresh racially motivated violence are arriving in Sydney by the bus and carload. reported today youths and ethnic "lions" from Melbourne are believed to be heading north intent on creating more mayhem. New South Wales police have called the reports "unconfirmed rumours" but said they are being investigated.
Expectations among the young Lebanese community in western Sydney that further trouble will develop over the weekend comes despite calls from their religious leaders, police and politicians for both sides to calm down. One 22-year-old ethnic Lebanese man yesterday told he and his friends were ready for a turf war. "The boys reckon it'll be like a scene out of ," he said.
Sources within the Lebanese community said three busloads of young men from Melbourne - Lebanese, Serbians, Italians and Greeks - and more than 30 carloads were expected to arrive in Sydney today and tomorrow. "I've talked to a few mates in Melbourne and I know that some of my other buddies have too," said a 29-year-old Lebanese man from Lidcombe, in Sydney's west. No doubt they'll find something to do to amuse themselves.
In related news, a group of entertainers staged a "hey, look at us" moment at Coogee beach: Some of Australia's most famous entertainers have gathered together to call for an end to the prejudice that led to violence across Sydney this week. Cate Blanchett, Jimmy Barnes, Mario Fenech, Claudia Karvan and local federal MP Peter Garrett launched the 'Wave of Respect' campaign at Coogee Beach this afternoon. Actor Bryan Brown says Australia has problems that it has to deal with.
Blanchett says she is against violence and racism. Probably the best this bunch can hope to get from the troublemakers is the "Finger of Disrespect". Actually, that's the best they'll get from me.
posted by J F Beck at 5:19 PM condemns those who demonize "an entire ethnic group – people of Middle Eastern appearance" but in the same post demonizes Australia as a racist nation. Angry Ant varies the "Australians are racists" theme in a recent post by including the evil Jews: Australia is not a racist country but the greatest place on Earth, says John Howard. And the fairy godmother is Jewish.
As usual it's impossible to work out exactly what Loewenstein's point is. posted by J F Beck at 11:54 AM Abdul Benbrika, who apparently used his spare – I'm just guessing here but I'll bet he had lots of it – time productively: The Melbourne Magistrates Court has been told Taha was present during a conversation with the group's alleged leader Abdul Benbrika and other men when one of the men was recorded discussing grabbing members of the police and quietly slaughtering them. The prosecutor alleged Merhi suggested a guide to making and using explosives might have been useful for the Jemaah Islamiah group and that Taha was present when members of the group suggested slaughtering police.
The court was also told Benbrika and Merhi were recorded discussing killing innocent families at the football in revenge for Prime Minister John Howard killing innocent Muslim families. Really, does anyone with any sense object to people like these being disappeared – rendered, if you prefer – to some dark hole somewhere? posted by J F Beck at 11:13 AM proposal that Cronulla's beaches be divided into sections: Sunbathers, soccer players and surfers could each be allocated an area on the southern Sydney beach to reduce the chance of arguments and conflict over who controls the sand.
Muslim and Lebanese "marshalls" and elders might also be sent from the western suburbs to patrol the area and sanction troublemaking young men visiting the beach. "The Mayor and Mr Baird have been looking at dividing beaches into areas for sport or for sunbaking or whatever," MacPherson said. "It's very early days but these are ways of avoiding confrontations on the beach.
" Nada Roude, spokeswoman for the Islamic Council of NSW, said: "It's just better management. If we can get a grip on what are the factors that have led to these unfortunate events ..
. then I think we are better able to understand which solutions will bring people to harmony." If the violence is racially motivated as so many have claimed, this isn't going to help.
Maybe it would be more appropriate to have "taunting" and "no taunting" sections. posted by J F Beck at 10:36 AM overnight, with a molotov cocktail thrown at police. A number of molotov cocktails and stockpiled stones were found.
Romeo Mike, blogging from Sydney, has a short summary of events. posted by J F Beck at 8:26 AM Police in New South Wales are urging people to avoid some beaches this weekend, with the expectation of more ethnic violence in Sydney and other parts of the coast.
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