Australians urged to return to the beach

* Madeleine Coorey Australians were urged yesterday to return to Sydney beaches that were deserted after the worst racial violence here in decades, as officials pledged police would restore “order and control.”

New South Wales state Premier Morris Iemma said hundreds of officers would be deployed to protect troubled suburbs for as long as necessary after the violence erupted last week. “This is a fight for order and control of our streets,” Iemma told ABC radio.Police said a special force of 800 officers would be on duty 24 hours a day until the end of January to prevent a new outbreak of race riots.Dozens of people were injured and arrested after white mobs set out to “reclaim” Cronulla beach from groups of Lebanese-Australians, sparking days of revenge attacks in which cars, shops and churches were attacked.The riots were apparently set off by the beating of two volunteer lifesavers by Middle Eastern youths earlier this month, and fanned by text messages encouraging residents to take action.But following a weekend of calm as some 2 000 police patrolled the beaches and set up roadblocks, Iemma urged people to return to the sands in Sydney, Wollongong to the south and Newcastle in the north.The premier said police would provide twice-daily intelligence reports and the public would be advised if circumstances changed.Police have so far arrested 163 people over the Cronulla violence and later revenge attacks on other beaches around Sydney.New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has said that the police presence during the holiday period was designed to send a “very clear and distinct message.””If you think you’re coming here spoiling for a fight with innocent people, then it’s just not on,” he said.”My officers are out there and I will continue this operation for as long as it takes to bring about that restoration of order.”The weekend crackdown saw police using new powers, granted to them by a special sitting of parliament, which allow them to confiscate cars and read people’s mobile phone messages to check they were not receiving or sending messages inciting racial violence.Meanwhile, an Australian tourism lobby group called for a campaign to reinforce the perception of Australia as a “warm, welcoming, friendly place.””We must show the world that the bigotry we have seen in recent weeks does not reflect our community values,” Tourism and Transport Forum managing director Christopher Brown said.”The riots will have a detrimental effect on our tourism industry unless Australians get back to visiting the city’s beaches and unless we implement a marketing response.”- Nampa-AFP”This is a fight for order and control of our streets,” Iemma told ABC radio.Police said a special force of 800 officers would be on duty 24 hours a day until the end of January to prevent a new outbreak of race riots.Dozens of people were injured and arrested after white mobs set out to “reclaim” Cronulla beach from groups of Lebanese-Australians, sparking days of revenge attacks in which cars, shops and churches were attacked.The riots were apparently set off by the beating of two volunteer lifesavers by Middle Eastern youths earlier this month, and fanned by text messages encouraging residents to take action.But following a weekend of calm as some 2 000 police patrolled the beaches and set up roadblocks, Iemma urged people to return to the sands in Sydney, Wollongong to the south and Newcastle in the north.The premier said police would provide twice-daily intelligence reports and the public would be advised if circumstances changed.Police have so far arrested 163 people over the Cronulla violence and later revenge attacks on other beaches around Sydney.New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has said that the police presence during the holiday period was designed to send a “very clear and distinct message.””If you think you’re coming here spoiling for a fight with innocent people, then it’s just not on,” he said.”My officers are out there and I will continue this operation for as long as it takes to bring about that restoration of order.”The weekend crackdown saw police using new powers, granted to them by a special sitting of parliament, which allow them to confiscate cars and read people’s mobile phone messages to check they were not receiving or sending messages inciting racial violence.Meanwhile, an Australian tourism lobby group called for a campaign to reinforce the perception of Australia as a “warm, welcoming, friendly place.””We must show the world that the bigotry we have seen in recent weeks does not reflect our community values,” Tourism and Transport Forum managing director Christopher Brown said.”The riots will have a detrimental effect on our tourism industry unless Australians get back to visiting the city’s beaches and unless we implement a marketing response.”- Nampa-AFP