OFF TOPIC
Boaz,
Just a minor point. The police’ role is to investigate and subsequently charge a person for matters for which they believe they have sufficient evidence.

Depending on whether the charge is a simple offence or serious criminal offence, they may prosecute it – or it may be prosecuted by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, also with the possible election of the offender as to hearing or trial.

Police do not have any involvement or say in the sentencing of offenders.

Further, the charges laid must have sufficient evidence to take to court. What constitutes evidence is guided by case law and legislation.

I think your desire to see the police do more may come from a lack of knowledge as to exactly what powers, legislation and evidence the police have at their disposal.

And what is the offence for screaming “We’re going to F*&* your mothers”?

ON TOPIC
This incident is a criminal matter.

It should be dealt with as such. Suggestions of race, religion, etc are muddying the waters and inflaming the problem. Perhaps if people called on their local members for more funding to police and better, clearer legislation, these problems could be addressed.

Calls to ‘bear arms’ against others is inciting civil unrest and should be dealt with as such, perhaps under the new sedition laws.

There are deeper issues which should be discussed openly and addressed – social alienation, economic inequity, insufficient education resources being just some.

If anyone thinks this is ‘just a race and culture issue’, it is probably that they have little understanding of the human condition and what causes people to behave in anti-social, destructive (to self and others) ways.

Please consider following 'Courier Mail' report:
"Man charged over Schoolies assaults
From:
Phil Bartsch and Rosanne Barrett

November 24, 2005

A MAN, 20, appeared in Southport Magistrate's Court yesterday over two attacks on Schoolies revellers on the Gold Coast.
Roy Paulo of Redbank Plains, Ipswich, is charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm against 18-year-old Lucas Miller, who was king-hit on the Esplanade at Surfers Paradise on Saturday night.
Miller suffered facial fractures and will require reconstructive surgery.
His father, Brisbane radio announcer John Miller, launched a campaign to shut down the end-of-school event after the brutal bashing.
Paulo also is charged with assault occasioning bodily harm while in company over an attack on a 17-year-old youth in sand dunes near the Northcliffe Surf Life Saving Club on Monday night.
Advertisement:

The teenager also sustained facial injuries.
Police arrested Paulo in the early hours of yesterday morning after an officer recognised him from the widely distributed Comfit picture.
He was at the beach at Surfers Paradise.
Paulo was remanded in custody to reappear for a further mention of three matters in January.
Thirty-five people were arrested on 45 charges on Tuesday night, the fifth night of Schoolies celebrations. Only 11 of those arrested were schoolies.
Most of the charges related to public nuisance and disorderly behaviour.
This brought the number of people arrested to 191, of which only 35 have been school-leavers.
Two non-school-leaver juveniles were arrested after allegedly carrying knives within the Schoolies entertainment precinct of Cavill Mall, Cavill and Orchid avenues and The Esplanade.
Gold Coast police were yesterday warning schoolies to be alert about the possible dangers of older non-school-leavers who were crashing the Schoolies party.
Gold Coast Superintendent Brett Pointing said the majority of schoolies were well behaved but older revellers used "predatory behaviours" to cause trouble."

Why does the behaviour of certain young Lebanese at Cronulla get such dramatic response and media beat up while "predatory behaviours" of mostly Christian (and unqualified) lads and girls at the GG (see article above) go over without much ado for the so-called patriots? (Southern Cross).

I wonder if the policeman who used his stick to flog the young Aussies last Sunday will ever wonder why he did it?
It looked as he was bashing a mob of rabid dogs. It was the most disgusting display of over done authority I have ever seen in my country.
If the police authorities did their jobs properly, the trouble would never have developed the way it has.
Pull the antisocial mob into control but be careful of stirring the fed up Aussies who want to see some fairness on our beaches.

Yes rancitas,
Why is it ‘only criminal behaviour’ if they are Anglo Christians? But Middle Eastern means terror, Muslim extremism or some other non-sense if they look different?

I have worked in law enforcement for some long years now and I can tell you all from experience, I have interacted with ‘tribal’ trouble from all corners of the earth in this one State. None of it was ‘ethnic’. It was criminal or antisocial, not anything but.

I will freely admit that gangs and criminals can tend to work from similar backgrounds. Isn’t that to be expected when this country essentially herds them into groups for their own comfort, since many openly don’t want to live next to that ‘ethnic’ person?

But I have seen Asians, Middle Easterners, Anglos and any other race you care to mention working together for criminal enterprise.

The issue is not the ethnicity. It is the individual who chooses the path of easy gain – or has a drug problem, or lack of an education, or socially imposed economic inequity. These are the root causes. All else is just obfuscation to the true issues.

Well, that’s 2 for today… guess I’ll have to wait now!

Having read the article but not the comments (yet)it's true, it's true. If a government wins elections because voters like its policies, the Howard government has never legitimately won an election. He's only ever won because either the electorate wasn't too keen on the alternative or because he's stirred up fear and resentment on the basis of race or culture.

Looking at the posts on other articles it's amazing the number of people who normally express degrees of racism, xenophobia, whatever you want to call it, who recognise that this time the line in the sand has been crossed.

The threat of continuing violence is more tangible and immediate than the abstract threat of a possible and vague terrorist attack. People can understand that a little racism is tolerable, but this time it's gone too far.

Howard introduced the white worriers to the lunar right and we now have the result. In the meantime the white worriers are worried that Christmas was all Barnaby managed to save. Right now is when an intelligent opposition would be sniffing out the tantalising scent of the extreme right's corpse. But no. I have to agree with some I'd normally disagree with and say we can anticipate a lot more biffo yet.

The irony is that if this plays out the way we scaredy cats suspect it might (but hope it won't) all the power in the world won't help Johnno sort it out. Left or right, Menzies is a name we can all respect for one reason or another. The Little Fella's legacy is looking rather ugly by contrast.

Kaliweb,

Hey, I'm just asking questions like everyone else?

And I didn't mention Cook or invasion once. Why did you read this into my post?

Me angry? Naah! I know Townsville well. Lived there for a long time

and if my mob were laughing at you I reckon they had good reason.

That's what clowns are for are they not?

Gotta love ya!