Gangs turn Cronulla beach into war zone
Copyright 2005 Nationwide News/The Daily Telegraph
December 07, 2005
By Luke McIlveen and Gemma Jones
(EXCERPT)
NICOLLE Dunk has been swimming at Cronulla since she was a toddler, but now the 17-year-old refuses to go to her favourite beach alone.
She has been harassed and assaulted by thugs of Middle Eastern descent who come to The Shire to threaten and intimidate.
"They kick sand into your face and scream the most disgusting abuse for no reason at all. A lot of locals are too scared to surf down here any more," she told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
As police played down a culture of gang violence at one of Sydney\'s best known beaches in the wake of the bashing of three North Cronulla lifesavers last Sunday, locals told a different story.
Ms Dunk, along with friends Leiden Kronemberger and Dean Apostolidis, both 16, said yesterday the gangs had disappeared after the bashing but would return when publicity died down.
"They come from Hurtsville and places like that and they always come in numbers. They don\'t mind having a go if they can hide behind their friends," Dean said.
Another Cronulla local told how little girls taking part in swimming lessons at the beach were warned to keep their sun protection shirts on as they left the water after thugs called them "little tarts".
Others described the abuse of a pregnant woman because she was taking up room on a stair way to the beach as one of the most shocking recent incidents at the beach.
The father of a 16-year-old girl said she had been too afraid to return to the beach after she and two friends were asked if they were virgins by a group of men.
When she failed to respond the gang told her she would be carried off the beach and it was only when she spotted a friend nearby that the two girls were able to escape.
Locals said the behaviour of aggressive groups of youths of Middle Eastern descent had become progressively worse in recent years.
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Teen charged over lifesaver attack
© 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald/AAP
December 7, 2005
(EXCERPT)
A teenager has been charged over the assault of a lifesaver at a Sydney beach.
Detectives arrested the 18-year-old Bankstown man at Petersham, in the inner-west, shortly before 10am today.
He was later charged with one count of affray and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company.
Surf lifesavers say the attack was carried out by a gang of youths who regularly visit Cronulla to harass locals and beachgoers.
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Authorities had expected trouble today after two violent incidents at the beach last week ? an attack on two lifeguards on Sunday and a brawl later in the week in which youths turned on a media crew. A series of text messages then began circulating, encouraging members of two rival groups of beach users to attack each other.
One of the messages had urged "Aussies" to take revenge against "Lebs and wogs". Another urged locals to rally at a point on the beach today to take retaliation against "middle eastern" gangs.
As the 5,000-strong crowd moved along the beach and foreshore area today, one man on the back of a ute began to shout "No more Lebs" ? a chant picked up by the group around him.
Others in the crowd, carrying Australian flags and dressed in Australian shirts, yelled "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ... Oi, Oi, Oi".
Authorities spent last week calling for calm, and Mr Iemma today said he would amend the law so that thugs who assaulted lifeguards could face the maximum 25 years in jail.
Topic: well, well, well.....that looks like soully in the photo ;) (Read 2699 times)