The Guardian 25 January, 2006
Debnam soft on fascists
Tom Pearson
Last week the leader of the NSW Liberal Party, John Debnam, claimed there were "200 thugs" who should be in jail after the riots last year and that there are 1,000 gang members on the loose, of mostly Middle Eastern background. Of course, he provided no evidence for his claims because his objective is not to protect the community but to keep the race cauldron on the boil.
In this he is aiding and abetting the racist agenda of the Howard Government. He conveniently fails to mention the neo-nazi gangs who perpetuated the racially driven violence last December: While Debnam says the Labor Government is "soft on ethnic crime", by his silence about the nazi thugs he is in effect a fascist sympathiser.
State Premier Morris Iemma has fallen in line with Debnam, increasing the newly formed paramilitary riot squad Strike Force Enoggera from 28 to 100. He has also sacked — and then forced to re-instate — the head of the strike force, apparently for being "soft on ethnic crime".
Debnam began his dirty, divisive crusade at the time of the clashes — which began at Cronulla in Sydney’s south last December and spread quickly to other beach-side suburbs — with Prime Minister John Howard stirring the pot and denying they were racially motivated.
The National Union of Students (NUS) nailed the Howard Government’s history of promoting racial hatred and division. "The policies of the Howard Government have encouraged people to feel insecure about the world that we live in and people from different countries of origin", said the NUS NSW Anti-Racism Officer, Osmond Chiu.
"This is more than simply a law and order issue. It is a situation that has been built up by issues such as terrorism, immigration, the Iraq war and the populist responses of the Howard Government to these issues. They cannot be solved by simply giving police greater powers or introducing harsher sentences.
"The Prime Minister must speak out for the majority of Australians who are abhorred by what has occurred."
The Iemma Government called a special sitting of Parliament on December 15 and rushed through riot laws giving police even more powers, including the right to "lock down" whole suburbs. NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said the new legislation would not tackle the root causes of violence and racism.
"The police already have extensive powers to handle whatever situation arises", said Ms Rhiannon. "The Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act already allows police to stop and search vehicles and establish road blocks. The Crimes Act contains specific penalties for riot and affray.
"As for the Opposition, their scapegoating of ‘ethnic gangs’ is highly irresponsible and inflammatory. Debnam needs to pull his head in and act for the whole community."