A "valuable step in breaking down tensions" would be for the Lebanese to take their Australian-hating behaviour far, far away, preferably to an Islamic country where there are few women uncovered to offend them. Failing that, Lebanon will do. I didn't ask my government to bring this riffraff in and they didn't ask me whether I approved when they did. I don't, and would vote accordingly if both sides weren't as bad as each other.

When the Lebanese gangs are dismantled we can then start on the Pacific Islander ones. These are less scarey than the Lebanese ones only because there are fewer of them, but individually Islanders (and their Maori cousins) can be pretty vicious (and they are usually hefty characters). Lebanese of course only attack when the odds are 5-6 to one. This why they are called the "Lions of Lebanon" (or did they mean "loins"?) because male lions attack in groups and get the lionesses to do most of the work.

Morris Iemma is about to get the arse because of his cowardice in not dealing with the, youths of M... oh bother... Lebanese Muslim youth gangs.

Tell me Taimor have you ever condemned the violence exhibited by this rather exclusive little group in our midst... in any terms. Especially any that we all can clearly identify the culprits.

Your post is blaming everyone else for the violence in Sydney.

Lets see you get fair dinkum and include this bunch of cherished little Lebanese Muslim angels in your criticism before you spout any more of your anti-Australian rubbish.

Global Nomad and (to a lesser extent) DavidJS

Idealism and political correctness don't work in the end.

The public have a right to know police statistics which indicate which groups rape, pillage and terrorize people out of all proportion to their numbers.

Stats are not perfect though. Woman rightly fear reporting pack rape because they know that there always may be a carload of thugs on the way who remember who spoke to the cops.

We also also need to know which ethnic groups are committing the highest level of crimes per capita because we (the public), at last, should be given a say in immigration ie. do we have the right to say "no more Lebanese" or is this the right and privilege of Canberra (which has a very small Muslim population).

Now you two will consider this a bit new and progressive but you have to look to the future guys. Past policing in Sydney that has shied away from confronting ethnic sensitivities (however thug driven) has lead to a self sustaining gang culture amongst Lebanese youth. The gangs live by force and are "impressed" with the greater force of the police rather than faint hearted PC chatting.

So, I think people should not be distracted by sloppy arguments that suggest that gang violence is the fault of society. We should keep our eye on the ball, that is, track (and profile) the Lebanese gangs of Sydney and keep them under control.

Taimor, removing racial profiling might help but I doubt it, I suspect that it would be seen as yet another coverup.

What I do think would help break down tensions is for community leaders from the various communities with ethnic/religious ties to the gang members and their families to spend some time talking about what they are doing to stop the gangs and what appears to be an ongoing campaign of racially and culturally inspired violence.

Instead we have been treated to s string of writers being very dismissive of the gang activities. The descriptions of gang activities are akin to having John Stone describing the Cronulla riots as "an alleged scuffle" (I don't think he has done so).

I am very opposed to seeing innocent muslims denigrated because of the actions of a small proportion of people with muslim backgrounds. The extrordinary lengths some authors have gone to downplay and put spin on the actions of these gangs has me very concerned. There does not appear to be any obvious attempt to address the issue head on, rather repeated calls for changes to the way Australian society deals with the issues. Some of those calls have merit but they will achieve nothing if the underlying issues are not addressed.

Why am I not seeing articles written by those in the muslim/middle eastern communities unreservedly condemming the actions of these gangs and proposing meas to halt their activities?

R0bert

Blatant racisms and lies are contained in your propaganda.

‘The race riots in Sydney were not a surprise; nor were they predictable and avoidable.’

There was only one riot.
Only people with anti-Australian attitudes see any racism.

Why do you think something that was not predictable and avoidable would not be a surprise?
Any explanation that targets only one group of Australians will paint you racist.

‘While not wanting to oversimplify … including the role of politicians, public commentators and the media…in the lead-up to the recent sickening scenes,…’

That’s a racist statement. It insinuates blame while targeting only one racial group.

‘…that atmosphere has led to violence against innocent citizens.’

That statement ignores and excuses the violence perpetrated by the Lebanese Muslim youth gangs.
This is the type of rhetoric you accuse the racists of indulging. ie targeting a group because of their race. That makes you racist.
‘ …is the inability of the general public to differentiate between various races and cultures…’
You think Australians stupid?
‘… undermining the ability of police to conduct investigations efficiently.’
Bob Carr did this to police in relation to the violence perpetrated by the Lebanese Muslim youths.

‘…bringing with it a culture of fear and hate targeting the city's Arab and Muslim communities’

No-one hates Arabs nor Muslims. The behaviour of the Lebanese Muslim youth gangs that have been perpetrating racial rapes and racial violence in our community is resented. You ignore this and instead erroneously and racially target the Australian community. That is racist.

‘Clearly, prejudice and xenophobia have played a substantial role in the racially motivated violence of recent days.’

Wrong and racist. Prejudice and xenophobia were involved in the violence of the last FIFTEEN YEARS. You ignore the facts. That indicates you tacitly but obviously blame only Australians and excuse the Lebanese Muslim youth gangs.

Carr and Iemma should have confronted your brand of ugly racism years ago.

I've lost patience with all the pretence being generated by you sympathetic with the violent Lebanese Muslim youth gangs.

Yes,remove the racial profiling and they can subvert the truth and the problem will continue to fester.Morris iemma will be put under incredible pressure to buckle to their demands.How can the general public be protected from criminals if there is no accurate discription?Notice how they are also pushing for a Bill of Rights and Religious Antivilification laws of Victoria which will further subvert the truth.

The Muslim community are in a permanent state of denial.If they put the reverse pressure on Morris Iemma,then he will put the criminals in gaol and the good name of ordinary law abiding Muslims will be preserved.

The problem is that the criminal thugs are so violent and powerful that they even have their own communities terrorised.This is why we have this impasse of denial and cover up.

The alarm bells should be ringing in Canberra because Morris Iemma hasn't got the courage or political disposition to confront the problem.

The nutter white supremacists see an opportunity for power and this lawless city of Sydney has become a festering sore of racial unrest all because of a politically correct Labor Govt.