Racial tension sparks Sydney riots
12 December 2005
http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/common/imageViewer/0,1445,216030,00.jpgON THE GROUND: A man is arrested by police at North Cronulla after a day of racial violence at the beach.
Fairfax
http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/common/imageViewer/0,1445,216006,00.jpgRIOT CONTROL: Racial tension erupted into violence in Sydney yesterday when 5000 people converged to defend their beach from what they believe are gangs of Middle East background after two young surf lifesavers were attacked last week.
Reuters
SYDNEY: Racial tension erupted into violence on a Sydney beach on Sunday when around 5000 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.
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