The link between the heading of the article and the content of your article fails me.

I don't think you can reasonably argue that assaults on a lifegaurds sparked the riots. There were attacks on lifegaurds last year in Queensland and there were no riots. Why only in this case? I also think that if you believe a couple of text messages had the influencial power to call thousands of people to arms, you're delusional. More than likely, this was a combination of racism fuelled paranoid nationalism.

Nicely put article. What I believe is that vilification of any kind should not be tolerated. There should be zero tolerance. It is from these mindless, insensitive manner in which certain individuals treat others (and get away with it because it is socially "acceptable") that escalates to violence. The greater sensible community should put their foot down and say "No" to vilification, in any shape or form!

Strayan you are kidding yourself-the only nationalism on show was that posed by the Lebanese gangs. Yes some of the young men wrapped in flags at Cronulla beach would like to think of themselves as nationalist patriots but there agression was more a 'tribal terratorialism' than anything else.

It was a very well written article Peter. The best thing it did was acknowledge the shortcomings of both sides-if we as a nation don't condemn our youths for attacking people we are sadly degenerating. Similarly if the wider lebanese community does not have the courage to cease its denial and reprimand its gangs then there is little hope for all of us.

When those so called "LEBANESE" or often reffered to as middle eastern people, bashed those life guards is a load of bull, there are bashings all over australia all the time but you dont hear "CHINESE OR AUSSIE BASHES LIFE GUARD" its only when an arab does it, then the whole nation wants in. So suddelny when middle eastern people do it suddenly all these attacks happend and the gangs start revenge attacks on lebances people. That gathering on sunday was disgusting i have nver been so dissappionted in my life, just because a bunch of idiots did the rong thing doesnt mean that all lebs/ wogs are bad. They should be dealt like any other normal citezen and be punished for there acts. The law cannot be taken into the australian community thats why we have police etc. So next time think carefully as because racism has been growing in our country for so long.

Any resident of Sydney will say that there is a serious problem within a section of the Muslim Lebanese community, especially within its young men, which does not exist in the Christian Lebanese community. Nothing has been done to change this, and its consequences lead to the dispicable, shameful riots in Cronulla.

We must walk a fine line to avoid racially profiling, but also allowing our media to report the true dynamics of crime, and the over-representation of certain minority groups such as Aborigines, Lebanese Muslims and Islanders. Withtout the latter, no solution could be offered. Unfortuntately, even with our open media, no solutions have yet been offered.

Yes but why is it always when the lebanese muslims do something wrong it hits headlines and creates a massacre in australia theres is something obviosly wrong here. Our media just add to the tension. Australia has a major problem in Racism. You must understand this. Yet when an australian does a crime suddnely no one hears about it and nothing is advertised in the media. Do you not see my point here. Im only a young boy (16 yr old) and i can see this why cannot people older and smarter see this!!