On 11th December 2005 violence has erupted at Cronulla in Sydney where a mob of angry Australians went on a rampage causing damages to properties and inflicting violence on people who are of a Middle Eastern origin or appearance.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported the trouble began when a group of Lebanese men attack Cronulla Life Surfers who ask them to stop playing soccer which was disturbing the beacher goers. After this event a march was organise to show ‘Aussie pride’. It started off peacefully but by afternoon it turned violent which has culminated from alcohols, marijuana smokes and the infiltration of white supremacist and Neo-Nazis extremists.
Politicians line up to condemn this vicious and cowardly attack which many believe has a racial element in it. The Premier of New South Wales Morris Iemma stated strongly: “The Australia that I know and intend to preserve as Premier does not support that kind of violence and behaviour. They tried to hide behind the Australian flag today - they are in fact cowards.” The Police Commissioner of New South Wales describe the mob as ‘UnAustralians’ while Prime Minister John Howard was ‘sicken’ by the attack saying: “Attacking people on the basis of their race, their appearance, their ethnicity is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians."
This trail of destruction perpetuated by the mob has cause angst within the ethnic communities especially from the Middle East and police believe reprisals are likely to occur.
Sydneyanglicans.net reported Paul Waterhouse a Sydney Anglican who also work as a cameraman and associate producer in Channel 9 felt ashamed to be Australian when he saw this senseless carnage saying: “It was not how Christ wants us to live. He talks about loving our neighbour and not turning on them – it was just racist.”
Rector of St Andrews Church at Cronulla the Reverend Richard Humphries felt his community was ‘alien’ to him saying: “What happened yesterday was not in keeping with Cronulla, the feeling is that the people who caused the trouble were not from here. There was a red-necked element that just didn’t seem to feel like the suburb.”
The Reverend along with the congregation will: “Pray for peace, that God would take away from the hearts of men the desires that lead to violence.” It is reported ‘Jews for Jesus’ was invited to St Andrew as part of the special service to ‘expose the sins of racism that can infect a culture.’
Although acknowledging the ‘we don’t want them here attitude’ lingers in Cornulla before this event the Reverend said: “I think we have to in some ways repent of our culture - that we could have raised people to think that way, that we have a media that could glorify it.”
The core focus for the Reverend and his congregation is: “On the purpose of Jesus – that he came to bring unity and peace, not division. Community is not based on racial similarities but on the fact that Jesus is Lord.”