Australian Prime Minister John Howard, in the face of widespread international coverage of violence in Sydney, insisted Australia was not a racist country.
“I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country.I have always taken a more optimistic view of the character of the Australian people. I do not believe Australians are racist," Howard told The Sydney Morning Herald.
He also dismissed fears that the riots may have hurt the country‘s international reputation.“Every country has incidents that don‘t play well overseas,“ Howard told reporters.You have outbreaks of domestic discord that happens to every country and when it occurs there‘s publicity, but people make a judgment about this country over a longer term.“
“They don‘t make judgments about Australia on incidents that occur over a period of a few days.“ The large-scale violence in Sydney started early December, when thousands of young white men attacked people of Arabic and Mediterranean background on Cronulla Beach, apparently in revenge for a recent well publicised attack on two lifeguards.
Many of the rioters had been alerted to congregate in the area by receiving text messages. Apparently in retaliation for the violence, groups described by police as having “Middle Eastern or Mediterranean“ appearance were involved in several nights of ongoing violence and vandalism.
The authorities fear further violence as new mobile phone text messages are circulating, one of which calls for more fighting over the weekend.“We‘ll show them! It‘s on again Sunday,“ one message said.
Another warned of possible retaliation from the Middle Eastern groups. Islamic youth leader Fadi Abdul Rahman said Muslim youths were angry at being dealt with ‘differently‘ by the police. “Unless something is done, this is going to turn into another Paris riot,” he warned.
Television images of the violence shocked Australians who pride themselves on their tolerance. The country is home to over 300,000 Muslims, a majority of whom live in lower-income suburbs of large cities.
Tensions between Muslim Arab youths and mainly white Australians have been rising in recent years, fuelled largely by the US war on terror and deadly bombings in Indonesia in which Australians have been killed. But many social and ethnic leaders believe the violence was primarily ‘gang warfare‘ and not purely race riots. Far right groups accused of links to neo-Nazis have admitted to their role in mobilising people at Cronulla Beach.
