Dr Peter West,

I think you should read through your comments once more ... within it and within yourself I think you will find the answer you are looking for.

Your comments remind me of an old aquaintance from South Africa (80's)
who assured me that.

"I am not racist ... they (black South Africans) are just too cheeky"

Milo

Now that this has been brought out into the open, it is time to have a proper debate about the whole problem.
We have not been allowed to question multiculture---it was racist to try to do so.
Now the whole system is looking decidedly sick and it will be healthier for all to get all our opinions into a free debate which should have been done years ago.
The entire system of immigration into Australia must be dealt with openly and with regard to the feelings of all Australians.
Otherwise there is going to be an ongoing cancer in this society.

[Post deleted. This site is about free speech, but free speech has limits. Urging violence against others is beyond the limits of what can be tolerated, unless the violence is in a legally sanctioned form. This poster has quite clearly over-stepped the mark and they have been suspended.]

Guys
I'm of middle eastern origin and I'm telling you, you can't be so tolerant to the intolerant , Yes it is a fact nowadasy that A big number of Muslims are driven by Faschistic Ideology of hate and want to change all the societies they go to and cause everlasting unrest.
The author of the article is so reluctant to clearly condmen these people and him and all people alike in the west will create more problems by their attitude and so called tolerance and those people will Just abuse it. Wake up or you will be no different than middle east countries soon. I totally find the way those youth unacceptable but I guess as long as we don't address and deal with these Ideology who force their own way of life upon others, people who live peacefully will find nowhere to go.

You're not even safe in the city with these middle-eastern men. They drive around in packs in at times heavily modified vehicles [often paid for by their parents when they at times don't work] and roam the streets hassling inner city folks. They are crude, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, the whole bag really. They regularly throw projectiles from their vehicles at locals in Darlinghurst and Kings Cross. Now and again some local will discharge a projectile back in their direction, or if the guys park their car and walk off, do damage to their car in their absence.

Their being confronted with inner-city life is their meeting what they perceive as the ultimate decadance of society, a witnessing of heavily intoxicated backpacker and suburban women carrying their shoes after a long night out, the images of strip clubs, female and transsexual prostitutes etc. I should add here that through life experience and other sources, many of them may not drink but use a lot of other drugs, eg cannabis, amphetamines. Here again the projectile throwing, shouting out "how much" etc. They are implicated in road rage everywhere, once one tried to cut me off years ago then when I was stopped at lights he ran up to the car and tried to assault me. Another time I was overtaken on the inside by one who, through my opened nearside window, tried to spit on me. Its not exclusive to Sydney, similar scenes can be witnessed around St Kilda in Melbourne and I've personally witnessed them. Bayside Melbourne residents should be on the lookout too.

Peter's article is about as closest to the truth as I have read so far across most media accounts.

As a resident of Cronullla for many years (Prince St. local) his comments re:

"But Cronulla is on the train line. Middle Eastern males seem to have a culture in which boys roam freely, while girls must be shielded, guarded, and dress carefully. The males travel in large packs of 12 or 20.

It seems these Middle Eastern guys comment to Australian girls about how they dress and behave. It also appears they can walk down the street and onto the beaches in large packs, say what offensive comments they like - particularly to women - and people are afraid to stop them. Locals in Cronulla get annoyed year after year. Tension has steadily mounted. And an attack on two lifesavers was all it needed."

...are the simple facts. All this racism and nationalism stuff is just crap; it's media beatup or a government excuse for inaction. The simple fact is people of Cronulla, and no doubt other locations have been harrassed for years by these gangs or groups of Middle Eastern young people. People are tired and sick of it. When the Police are in low numbers and are powerless to act, when the laws are weak and do not stop such action, when there are so many do-gooders and people trying to be "politically correct" action is not taken. So unfortunately frustration to inaction has lead to people taking the law into their own hands. If this was addressed and nipped in the bud years ago (and it has been going on for over 20 years) then we would not have the problems we have today. Now it will take more drastic action. But it has to be taken. Forget all of the righteous stuff and fix the real problem, take the gangs off the street (completely), and let people of all races and cultures enjoy the beaches and public places in safety as they should. Government, stop the "pussyfooting" and get in and fix the problem, now.

Rob.