The 2005 Cronulla riots were a sequence of race riots and outbreaks of mob violence in Sydney, beginning on 11 December 2005 in the beachside suburb of Cronulla which spread, over the next few nights, to even more suburbs. The riots were focused on tensions between youths from Sydney's Lebanese and white populations. A crowd gathered at Cronulla on the morning of Sunday, 11 December 2005, and by midday, roughly 5,000 people had gathered near the beach. The gathering began peacefully, but later in the afternoon a man who appeared to be Middle Eastern was attacked by members of the crowd. The police eventually got involved. Many similar attacks took place later in the day, followed by retaliatory attacks that night and on subsequent nights, resulting
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These people were charged with malicious damage, possession or use of a prohibited weapon, assaulting police, rioting, resisting arrest, threatening violence and affray. Some examples include; Ali Osman, 18, was charged with affray and assault occasioning bodily harm for the original attacks he committed on 4 December 2005 against the volunteer lifesavers and was given 300 hours of community service and 200 hours for affray. Osman was the only person charged over the beginning confrontation. The Magistrate, Jacqueline Trad told Sutherland Local Court that Osman had turned his back on his real country: "By this sort of conduct you turned your back on your family, your culture and your real country, all for the sake of some juvenile, impulsive and misplaced allegiance.... Over the last 100 years or so, the ancestors of many citizens, mine included, came to this country seeking refuge from hatred, intolerance, violence or just simply the opportunity to improve their families' prospects.’’ Yahya Jamal Serhan was arrested over the stabbing of "Dan" on 12 December and charged with affray and maliciously inflicting bodily harm and was sentenced to 13 months jail but was immediately released after having already spent nine months in custody awaiting trial. Dan was disappointed by the sentence, saying "I've got no
These people were charged with malicious damage, possession or use of a prohibited weapon, assaulting police, rioting, resisting arrest, threatening violence and affray. Some examples include; Ali Osman, 18, was charged with affray and assault occasioning bodily harm for the original attacks he committed on 4 December 2005 against the volunteer lifesavers and was given 300 hours of community service and 200 hours for affray. Osman was the only person charged over the beginning confrontation. The Magistrate, Jacqueline Trad told Sutherland Local Court that Osman had turned his back on his real country: "By this sort of conduct you turned your back on your family, your culture and your real country, all for the sake of some juvenile, impulsive and misplaced allegiance.... Over the last 100 years or so, the ancestors of many citizens, mine included, came to this country seeking refuge from hatred, intolerance, violence or just simply the opportunity to improve their families' prospects.’’ Yahya Jamal Serhan was arrested over the stabbing of "Dan" on 12 December and charged with affray and maliciously inflicting bodily harm and was sentenced to 13 months jail but was immediately released after having already spent nine months in custody awaiting trial. Dan was disappointed by the sentence, saying "I've got no