Cronulla (Part 3)

Submitted by rickeyre on

MALCOLM KERR, STATE MP FOR CRONULLA: Well, you go back to the core problem and ensure that people can go to the beach and to parks without being subjected to any antisocial behaviour.
JONATHAN HARLEY [7.30 Report, ABC-TV]: And what does that mean? For the people of Cronulla, what does 'antisocial' mean?
MALCOLM KERR: It means being insulted, spat at and being abused when you go to a beach or a park with your children.
JONATHAN HARLEY: How widespread is that in your view?
MALCOLM KERR: That's been quite widespread of a weekend over the last few years.
JONATHAN HARLEY: By whom?
MALCOLM KERR: Oh, by Middle Eastern gangs and just generally.
JONATHAN HARLEY: What do you mean by Middle Eastern gangs, how do you characterise them?
MALCOLM KERR: People of Middle Eastern appearance, some will undoubtedly be Lebanese. That's a matter of public record.
- Transcript, The 7.30 Report, ABC-TV, 12.12.05

The catalyst for the current situation appears to be the bashing, by four men, of two surf lifesavers, aged 19 and 2o, on North Cronulla Beach on Sunday December 4. Here's an AAP report published by the Sydney Morning Herald website in their Monday afternoon December 5 edition.

The SMH continues to chronicle events last weeks as follows:

Here's some video footage of Sunday's events (Windows Media format).

Part 4 will include some more audio-visual coverage of events, and then maybe Part 5 can get around to my comments. But that's it from me for a few hours. We'll see what Tuesday night will bring.