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Cronulla mob attacks beachgoers
New South Wales Police say several people of Middle Eastern appearance were attacked by a mob at Sydney's Cronulla Beach today.
Earlier in the day thousands of people gathered at the beach in response to calls to retaliate for the bashing of two lifeguards a week ago.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Goodwin says several people were the victims of racial attacks.
"In terms of crowd swells against some people of Arabic extraction ... some of those people that have been targeted have been Australian-born people that attend this beach in a quiet and relaxing manner," he said.
Six people were taken into custody and four have been charged.
Assistant Commissioner Goodwin says the attacks are un-Australian.
"People of Middle Eastern background that have been seen in the Cronulla area, a swarm of crowd has approached those people to hurl foul abuse and disgusting language and a most un-Australian approach to the way that the crowd has behaved," he said.
Ambulance attacked
The Ambulance Service of NSW says one of its vehicles was attacked.
One ambulance officer was hit over the head with a glass bottle and another on board received lacerations.
The ambulance had been transporting six injured people.
Of those, one was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition and the rest were treated for minor injuries in a secure location away from the crowds.
Police say two bottle shops were closed and a nearby club agreed not to let any more people in.
Earlier in the day the atmosphere had been party-like despite the large crowd, which some estimates say numbers 5,000 people.
That changed when a man of Middle Eastern appearance was chased into a hotel bistro.
Within a minute the hotel was surrounded by several thousand people screaming and chanting.
About a half an hour later a fight broke out across the road and police led away a man with a shirt over his head as the crowd lobbed beer cans at him.
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Source: www.abc.net.au
New South Wales Police say several people of Middle Eastern appearance were attacked by a mob at Sydney's Cronulla Beach today.
Earlier in the day thousands of people gathered at the beach in response to calls to retaliate for the bashing of two lifeguards a week ago.
Assistant Commissioner Mark Goodwin says several people were the victims of racial attacks.
"In terms of crowd swells against some people of Arabic extraction ... some of those people that have been targeted have been Australian-born people that attend this beach in a quiet and relaxing manner," he said.
Six people were taken into custody and four have been charged.
Assistant Commissioner Goodwin says the attacks are un-Australian.
"People of Middle Eastern background that have been seen in the Cronulla area, a swarm of crowd has approached those people to hurl foul abuse and disgusting language and a most un-Australian approach to the way that the crowd has behaved," he said.
Ambulance attacked
The Ambulance Service of NSW says one of its vehicles was attacked.
One ambulance officer was hit over the head with a glass bottle and another on board received lacerations.
The ambulance had been transporting six injured people.
Of those, one was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition and the rest were treated for minor injuries in a secure location away from the crowds.
Police say two bottle shops were closed and a nearby club agreed not to let any more people in.
Earlier in the day the atmosphere had been party-like despite the large crowd, which some estimates say numbers 5,000 people.
That changed when a man of Middle Eastern appearance was chased into a hotel bistro.
Within a minute the hotel was surrounded by several thousand people screaming and chanting.
About a half an hour later a fight broke out across the road and police led away a man with a shirt over his head as the crowd lobbed beer cans at him.
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Source: www.abc.net.au
