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Peace march to be held in Sydney today
AS police prepare for more trouble at Sydney's beaches today, several peaceful gatherings will take place to condemn the recent race-fuelled violence.Up to 2,000 police officers will be on duty amid fears of a repeat of last Sunday's riot at North Cronulla beach in Sydney's south where crowds turned on anyone of Middle Eastern appearance. NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the state was prepared for a worst-case scenario. Police would act on information from SMS messages, criminal intelligence, Crime Stoppers and the National Security Hotline. But as police keep a watchful eye for any trouble, crowds are expected to gather at Town hall at about 1pm (AEDT) today for The Unite Against Racism Rally. "We need to send the strongest possible message to the rest of Australia and to the rest of the world that those 5,000 people who rioted at Cronulla do not speak for us," a rally spokesman said. "It's time that ... Sydneysiders who did not like what they saw last weekend took (to) the streets to make their voice heard." In a similar action, people wearing white T-shirts are expected to converge on Bondi Beach about 3pm (AEDT) despite calls from authorities for people to stay away from popular beaches this weekend. Yesterday, some of the state's most popular beaches were almost deserted as people heeded police calls to stay away. But "Peacebake" organisers are today encouraging participants to "swim and hang out with people of all cultural backgrounds" and get their t-shirts signed by as many people from as many cultures as possible.peAbout the same time, a "harmonious gathering" at Belmore Park near Central Railway Station in the CBD is being planned to "promote cultural, religious, racial and ethnic harmony for all Australians." Overnight, police said four cars, 14 mobile phones and weapons including swords and iron bars were seized and several arrests were made as part of Operation Seta, set up in response to last weekend's racial violence. Police said a 32-year-old man walking in Maroubra about midnight was assaulted by four men, including one armed with an iron bar. The man, who attended Maroubra police station to report the attack, was treated by ambulance officers. Up to 1,500 police officers hit the streets yesterday and about 31 roads were closed using tough new laws passed by state parliament last week to crack down on troublemakers. Some streets were locked down in the beachside Sydney suburbs of Cronulla, Maroubra, Coogee and Bondi, and police established security checkpoints in other areas as part of Operation Seta. Cars at the lockdown points were yesterday stopped and occupants spoken to, and only people who lived in the area or with a reasonable purpose were allowed in. The security checkpoints will be in operation again today at key access roads to beachside suburbs across Sydney's south and east. Deputy Commissioner Scipione has apologised for major traffic delays and has asked the public to avoid travelling to Cronulla, the eastern suburbs, central coast beaches and Wollongong. Posted by: Oztralian 2005-12-17 |
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