Police charge man over alleged 'violent call to action' at beach

The man has been charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass, offend and publicly threaten violence on grounds of race or religion.

People on a beach

A man is accused of a social media post calling for "wog" and "Middle East" bashing at Cronulla. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts

NSW counter-terrorism police have charged a man over allegedly seeking to incite violence at a beach that was the scene of race riots 20 years ago, just days after the Bondi terror attack.

Police said on Monday the charges related to an alleged "violent call to action" on social media, calling for protesters to gather at a beach in Sydney's south later in the week.

Detectives became aware of the posts the day after the Bondi attack, during which 15 people were killed by two gunmen.

A post circulating online had called for "wog" and "Middle East" bashing at Cronulla beach on Sunday, 20 years since the infamous race-fuelled riots at the same location.

More than 100 people were arrested during the 11 December 2005 riots, which followed a text message circulating among locals that called on "Aussies" to show "Lebs and wogs" they weren't welcome after growing tensions at the beach.
Police arrested a 20-year-old man at Narara, on the NSW Central Coast, about 1.40pm on Sunday over the social media post.

He has since been charged by detectives attached to the NSW Counter Terrorism and Specialist Tactics Command with using a carriage service to menace, harass, offend and publicly threaten violence on grounds of race or religion.

The man has been denied bail and will appear in court on Monday.

Police said the organiser of the event did not obtain authorisation for the rally, adding that anyone considering violence, retribution or vigilante behaviour could expect a swift and decisive response from authorities.
"While the NSW Police Force recognises people may want to protest due to recent events both here and overseas, we are asking the community to choose other ways to come together peacefully," police said in a statement.

NSW Premier Chris Minns previously said the planned Cronulla rally would be met with the full force of the law and there would be no tolerance for any acts of retribution following the Bondi massacre.


For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.

Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP




Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world