The fallout from Australia's Cronulla beach riots continues
BACKGROUND OF THE RIOT
The fall out from the riots on Sydney’s beaches continues amid accusations that the State government and police have
‘gone soft’ on Australians from Lebanese backgrounds.
The December 11 Sydney riots last year consisted of a demonstration of about 5,000 white Australians who wore t-shirts
and chanted slogans in a Sydney beach suburb. These slogans included ‘wog-free zone’ – ‘Lebs outs’ – ‘Lebs go home’ and
– ‘ethnic cleansing unit.’ The word ‘Lebs’ is a contraction of Lebanese: first generation Australians from Lebanon were
the main target of the white Australians.
The main thrust of what the white Australians was saying was that the Lebanese Australians were engaging in unacceptable
behavior. This behavior included ‘aggressive’ use of some of Sydney’s beaches, as well as sexual comments by Lebanese
Australian young men towards white Australian women. In the days before the riots, an assault on Australian beach
lifesavers – an icon of Australian culture – was the immediate catalyst which led to the 5,000 demonstration.
Included in the 5,000 protest were members of far-right organizations handing out leaflets. The protest turned into a
riot where at least one Muslim woman had her headscarf pulled off as she ran away from an attacker, as well as multiple
attacks on young Lebanese Australian men. At least one Jewish Australian boy and one Greek Australian girl was also
attacked.
Many of the white Australians who took part in the demonstration appeared to be poorer and less educated than average
Australians. While not an excuse for racist behaviour, poor, uneducated people with racist sentiments tend to be more
open about their racism than middle class whites. This is especially the case when such people are with their ‘mates’:
‘mateship’ tends to be more important to everyday life for working class Australians compared to the competitive
individualism of the middles classes.
The racist protesters / rioters are the same people who have been under pressure from industrial relations reforms
introduced by the right-wring Prime Minister John Howard. The reforms, introduced last year, undermines traditional
minimum workplace guarantees. Also of note at the riot was the disproportionate number of men. As in most Western
countries, male identification with their jobs is becoming increasingly weak given the historical decline in secure
full-time male employment, and this combined with other factors have led to abusive behavior and drinking. Behavior
linked with heavy drinking was a notable feature of the riot.
The Lebanese-Australians themselves are also under government attack because of the demonization of Muslims because of
the ‘war on terror.’ Arrests of terrorist suspects in Australia have all been Muslim, and Muslims have been the main or
collateral casualties of the war on terror. In fact, however, many Lebanese Australians are Christian, and some of the
Muslims arrested for terrorism charges are white Australian converts to Islam, but these details are lost in the broader
public debate. Indeed, referring to the people who were attacked by the 5,000 riot as Lebanese Australians is in itself
not an accurate term, as many come from middles eastern countries other than Lebanon.
THE REVENGE ATTACKS
The day after the 5000 riot, a 'revenge' attack occurred, with many men of middle eastern appearance entering beach side
suburbs in up to 100 cars who then systematically vandalise parked cars. Those attacked included attacks on lone white
Australians, one of which has rekindled the ‘soft on Lebanese crime’ accusation.
Mr. Morris Iemma, the Premier of New South Wales, which covers the city of Sydney, has suggested that what is needed is
more Australian values, and that new units will be introduced into government primary schools to teach Australian
values. Mr. Iemma said ‘I believe what happened at Cronulla, Maroubra and Brighton-Le-Sands had its roots in a
fundamental lack of respect for authority, developed at an early age,’ according to the January 22, 2006 Australian
newspaper.
THE HIDDEN VIDEO FOOTAGE
Security camera footage was released on January 19 showing a gang of about 20 men of middle eastern appearance attacking
a single white man in Cronulla on the night of December 12, the day of the ‘revenge’ attacks. He suffered a broken arm.
The footage had been kept from the public for 5 weeks and has since received extensive broadcast coverage on Australian
television.
However, despite the police having the video in their possession for 5 weeks, the Commander responsible for
investigating the riots, Dennis Bray, has said that no arrests had so far been made as a result of police checks from
the video.
It seemed to be the case that the blame is being put down to more junior officers sitting on the tape and not letting
others know about it. According to a Seven Network report the Police Commissioner was said to be "furious" he was not
informed about the of the tape.
The conservative Opposition Leader Peter Debnam says that the delay in releasing the tape vindicates his earlier
assertions that the police had been going soft on the revenge attackers because they are of middle eastern descent. The
ethnic minority vote, especially the middle eastern one, has traditionally gone to the ruling Labor Party.
Mr. Debnam said that "The Government has had this tape for more than a month. They've now released it under media
pressure. There's 200 thugs on the streets of Sydney who should be in jail, that's the issue. I'm saying to the
Government 'get in their face, get 'em arrested, get 'em locked up'." Clearly, Debnam is playing to the gallery, as well
as overlooking problems of due process when he says that people should just be arrested and locked up.
THE SACKING OF THE SENIOR POLICE INVESTIGATOR
Following the public release of the video the head of Strike Force set to investigate the Cronulla riots has been stood
aside following claims police failed to arrest those responsible for revenge attacks, according to the January 20 Age
newspaper.
The police commissioner, Mr Moroney, said he was unhappy Superintendent Bray had not released the footage earlier.
"Clearly, there was material there that he could have been releasing and should have been releasing to the general
community," Mr. Moroney told Southern Cross Radio Broadcasting.
In a clear public rebuke, Mr Moroney said that "Effective forthwith, Detective Superintendent Ken Mackay ... will assume
command of [the Strike Force]. Dennis [Bray] will return to his ... position as detective chief inspector at Blacktown,"
reported the January 20 Age.
The decision to remove Bray from the position seems to have been made on the hoof. According to an opinion piece in the
Sydney Morning Herald on January 22, he was sacked by a telephone call to his home 12.30am. This has caused a backlash
among police officers, according to an AAP report in the January 20 Australian newspaper.
A meeting of 30 officers investigating the Cronulla riots has called on the Police Commissioner Ken Moroney to publicly
apologize to Acting Detective Superintendent Dennis Bray and to reinstate him.
The NSW Police Association (union) president Bob Pritchard said the video was withheld in accordance with established
policies.
"Members of the task force are dismayed that video footage crucial to the investigation has been released to the public
and will therefore compromise their investigation," Mr Pritchard said in a statement. However, Mr. Pritchard did not
elaborate on how releasing the video would ‘compromise’ police investigations.
The police officers connected with the Cronulla riots will hand a list of demands agreed to unanimously at the meeting
to Mr. Moroney on January 23. The officers have threatened industrial action, some 3 days before the Australia Day
public holiday.
Mr. Moroney has announced that the number on the Cronulla riots strike force will be increased from 28 to 100. He also
annoucned that a permanent Middle Eastern crime squad will be established.
One reason why the public release of the video seems to have been so extensive is the wide-spread revulsion of 30 men
attacking a lone man. This cuts across a wide-spread Australian cultural perception of acceptable masculinity that it is
cowardly and unacceptable or un-Australian to engage in physical violence unless there is an equal number of people on
both sides. Groups of young men of middle eastern descent, the perceived ‘Lebanese gangs,’ may also grate against white
Australian cultural perceptions: Australian young people may be less likely to socialize in large groups, and being with
others of the same ethnic identity is a way to protect oneself from racist violence.
This value was illustrated by the intervention of Ahmed Jajieh, born in Australia and of Lebanese descent, who bravely
intervened in the bashing that was captured on video. The 24 year old said ‘I felt sorry for the guy. It's not right -
30 blokes on one person.’ He added ‘But I am Australian and I am not captured by my background.’
Before his removal from the strike force, Superintendent Bray said there was even more video footage of the revenge
attacks. "Again we're working through those images, and at the appropriate time I'll release them."
Possibly reacting to media pressure, on the very same day that the video was made public, NSW police arrested two people
in relation to the revenge attacks, and therefore presumably of middle eastern appearance. A 16-year-old was charged
with various public order offences, and a 17 year old was sent to youth conferencing, according to the January 20 Sydney
Morning Herald.
The aftermath of the riots will not go away soon. At the time of writing (23 January) Police Commissioner Maroney
attended a meeting with the strike force officers threatening to go on strike, the outcome of which has not yet been
made public. One of the right-wing groups who were at the 5,000 riot, Australia First, has asked for protesters to
attend Cronulla breach on January 26 to ‘register their disgust with selective policing.’ January 26 is an Australian
public holiday marking the arrival of the first white settlement in Australia.
A heavy police presence of about 800 police officers will maintain ‘order’ and it would be a very brave person of middle
appearance who would go to that beach on Australia Day. What is certain, however, is that racist tension in Australia is
alive and well, and further riots will occur in future.
written by Dale Mills 23 January 2006
ENDS