Text messages incite more violence

Published: 7:19AM Tuesday December 13, 2005

Source: AAP

New text messages, including one declaring war between Sydney's Middle Eastern youths and Australians, are being circulated, after another night of violence at some beachside suburbs.

More violence erupted in Cronulla and Brighton-Le-Sands in the city's south on Monday night.

It followed clashes in Cronulla the previous night.

Sixteen people were charged on Monday in relations to Sunday's violence, when a 5,000-strong alcohol-fuelled mob, some waving flags and chanting racist slogans, chased and bashed people of Middle Eastern appearance at Cronulla beach.

The trouble was sparked by an attack on surf lifesavers at the beach the week before, and text messages calling for retaliation.

New text messages inciting more violence were now being circulated, The Australian newspaper reported on Tuesday.

One congratulated Australians for the fight they put up against the Lebanese, but called for more attacks.

"We'll show them! It's on again Sunday," the message said.

Another warned of retaliation from the Middle Eastern groups.

"The Aussies will feel the full force of the Arabs as one - `brothers in arms' unite now...", the message said.

Another called for "straight up WAR".

"The leb's/wogs won't stand for this...", it said.

Men in about 25 cars were involved in violence in Cronulla on Monday night, with vehicles damaged along Elouera Road, police said. Shops outside Caringbah were also damaged.

Six people from these areas were arrested for affray and taken to Miranda and Sutherland police stations for questioning.

Police said one person near the Cronulla police station had been injured when hit with a thrown object and several others were also injured, but they had no details about them yet.

There were reports of gunshots near the Northies Hotel opposite North Cronulla beach, but police said there had been no shots fired.

Officers managed to take control of the situation at Cronulla by midnight (AEDT).

At Brighton-Le-Sands, about 100 men in cars arrived in the area, throwing objects at cars and shops.

Mobs ripped out garbage bins and smashed a window to a laser clinic on Bay Street.

A family of three was forced to move out of their apartment after their five-month-old son narrowly escaped being struck by a bottle thrown through their apartment window.

Two police vehicles were damaged, but no-one was injured, police said.

Officers also blocked off streets around Lakemba Mosque, in Sydney's south-west, after about 500 mostly Muslim men gathered, amid rumours of an imminent attack on the building.

Police were pelted with rocks as the crowd dispersed, but no-one was injured.

Cricket bats, rocks and iron bars were confiscated by police monitoring about 100 people who had gathered near Maroubra Beach, not far from where mobs smashed car windows on Sunday night.

Police have formed a taskforce to try to prevent a repeat of Sunday night's riots, which have been condemned by NSW Premier Morris Iemma.