Australian racial violence spills into 2nd night

Perth police Superintendent Shayne Maines said authorities could not rule out a link between the attack and the racial violence in Sydney. “There was some suggestion they did make ethnically-related comments to the occupant of the house,” Maines said.

In Adelaide, a taxi driver of Lebanese origin, Hossein Kazemi, was injured when he was punched by a passenger during an incident Tuesday.

“There was some sort of discrepancy and argument over the fare,” a South Australian police spokesman said on customary condition of anonymity. “Apparently during the assault, the victim, because he was of Lebanese origin, was taunted about the stuff in Sydney and Cronulla beach.”

Arab retaliation possible
More violence seemed likely. New text messages circulated Monday, one of which called for more fighting next weekend: “We’ll show them! It’s on again Sunday.”

Another message warned of possible retaliation from Middle Eastern groups.

“The Aussies will feel the full force of the Arabs as one — ’brothers in arms’ unite now,” the message said.

Prime Minister John Howard has defended Australia’s policy of tolerance, noting the nation has successfully absorbed millions of foreigners. Before leaving Tuesday for a summit of Asian nations in Malaysia, he said he didn’t believe the rioting would affect Australia’s overseas reputation in the long-term.

“You have outbreaks of domestic discord that happens to every country and when it occurs there’s publicity, but people make a judgment about this country over a longer term,” he said.

Television images of the violence shocked Australians who pride themselves on their tolerance and credit an influx of immigrants with helping build up the country in the post-World War II years.

However, tensions between youths of Arab and Middle Eastern descent and white Australians have been rising in recent years, largely because of anti-Muslim sentiment fueled by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States and deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, in October 2002.

In the 2001 census, nearly a quarter of Australia’s 20 million people said they were born overseas. The country has about 300,000 Muslims, most in lower income suburbs of large cities.

The unrest recalled three weeks of rioting in France that began in the suburbs of Paris on Oct. 27 and spread nationwide, baring frustration in communities with high immigrant and Muslim populations.

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