Friday, December 16, 2005
GO AWAY FROM THE BEACH
Sydney residents are directed to avoid water and sand lest they be caught up in the troubles:
The Premier, Morris Iemma, has warned the public to stay clear of the beach this weekend, amid “credible threats” of large-scale riots.
As police prepared to mount their biggest operation since the Olympics to end this week’s outbreak of racial violence, Mr Iemma yesterday asked Sydneysiders not to visit beaches in eastern suburbs, Cronulla, the Central Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong.
“The police do advise that there are credible threats of large numbers of people wishing to congregate at a range of beachside locations. Based on the credibility of those threats, travel to those areas should be avoided and residents living within the areas ought not to go to those beachside locations,” he said.
Police set up roadblocks last night:
“These are extraordinary measures for extraordinary times,” [Police Commissioner Ken] Moroney said.
Those who ignore the advice will have their cars searched at checkpoints and will be turned away by police, unless they have a valid reason for going into the areas.
Difficult to know what a “valid reason” might be. Meanwhile, ill-tempered text messages are a-flyin’:
One message, passed to the New Zealand Herald by a reader, urges:“They’ve tortured us around the world ... n humiliated us but its not gona happen anymore! Lebanese unite as 1 on the 18-12-05 prepare for war send this msg 2 every arab u know.”
A total of 63 people have been arrested since the troubles began, including 19 overnight:
Police have also seized a vehicle at Matraville, in Sydney’s south, the first car taken under the new powers given to police.
Inside they found swords and a dagger.
Damn musketeers.
UPDATE. Michael Duffy on Australian racism:
The sad truth for middle-class moralisers is that most Australians are unhelpfully non-racist. The book How Australia Compares, by Rodney Tiffen and Ross Gittins, includes the result of a 1990s survey on the sorts of people who were not desired as neighbours. Some of the respondent percentages were: drug addicts 74, heavy drinkers 60, people with a criminal record 45, emotionally unstable 38, and immigrants and people from a different race 5. Only 5 per cent! And that was the lowest in the list of countries surveyed: Austria and Belgium 20 per cent, Japan 17, France, Italy and Germany 13.
UPDATE II. A radio announcer apologises to Lebanese Australians.
UPDATE III. Observe Cronulla’s forbidden waves via surfcam.