Race clashes reignite

As the shock of Australia's worst race riots settled in, police were investigating a new series of disturbing SMS text messages calling on young Arabs to start another round of attacks at Cronulla beach on Sunday. The The Courier-Mail reports.

The SMS said: "All Arabs unite as one, we will never back down to anyone the aussie's (sic) will feel the full force of the arabs as one 'brothers in arms'. Unite now lets show them who's boss 'destroy' everything gather at cronulla . . . spread the message to all Arabs."

Related

-- A ticking bomb of racial hatred had to explode - While fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol, the evil, racist intentions of the mob ringleaders was evident in the text message sent around the area last week: "This Sunday every Aussie in the Shire get down to North Cronulla to support Leb and wog bashing day . . . Bring your mates and let's show them that this is our beach and they are never welcome . . . let's kill these boys." The messages, and the simmering tensions which led up to Sunday's riots, followed a provocative attack on two lifesavers the previous weekend. They also stem from years of racial tensions, with faults on all sides, in Sydney's teeming multi-racial suburbs.

-- Police consider SMS Cronulla messages 'a crime' - The New South Wales police say they are looking into whether it is a crime to send text messages encouraging retaliation against the attack on the two lifeguards at North Cronulla Beach.

Picture from the Herald Sun photo gallery.

emily | 5:15 PM | SMS and Politics |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2005/12/010903.htm