Australia Riots Persist; Police May Gain Powers

Violence spilled into a second night Monday as scores of youths drove through predominantly white suburbs of Sydney, smashing windows of cars, homes and stores and raising fears of spreading racial unrest.

Police said they arrested 11 suspects in the rioting, which left seven people injured, including one officer.

In response, the region’s premier said today that police would be given increased power to crack down on rioters.

“New South Wales parliament will be recalled for a special emergency sitting on Thursday morning to provide police with extra powers to deal with criminals and thugs who are causing disturbances across our city,” New South Wales state leader Morris Iemma said.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard called the violence “sickening,” but denied it had roots in racism.

About 5,000 white men, many of them drunk, targeted people believed to be of Arab or Middle Eastern descent on Cronulla Beach on Sunday after rumors spread that Lebanese youths had assaulted two lifeguards.

Police, who had stepped up patrols on the beach after learning of cellphone text messages urging people to retaliate for the attack on the lifeguards, tried to control the mob with batons and pepper spray.

Young men of Arab descent struck back in several Sydney suburbs Sunday, fighting with police for hours and smashing dozens of cars with sticks and bats, police said. They said 31 people were injured and 16 arrested.

Television images of Sunday’s riot shocked Australians, who pride themselves on tolerance.

Racial tensions in Australia have been rising in recent years, fueled by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. and the 2002 bombings on Bali, Indonesia, that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.