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A group of Lebanese attacked a SBS news crew as they were filming reaction
to the recent 55 year sentencing of a multiple pack rape leader outside a
Sydney Mosque. The crew claim that they were being respectful, and stopped
filming whenever they were requested. They were attacked from behind by a group
of Lebanese men, beaten and kicked to the ground. The elders from the Mosque
intervened, and the assailants ran off before jumping into a number of cars and
speeding away. The spokesmen (and no, there don't appear to be any spokeswomen) for the
Lebanese community have come out in support of the harsh sentence for the
rapist, and agree that they are appropriate considering the obscenity of the
crimes. This is not surprising. There has been a great deal of suspicion about the
Lebanese since the rapes. These spokesmen are politicians, and they are well
aware that the best interests of their community are served by distancing
themselves from these crimes as much as possible, and showing a little
sympathy as possible with the perpetrators. However, in spite of their support for the actions of authorities, it
remains to be seen whether this support extends to helping them actually catch
criminals. There was apparently a sizable crowd at the Mosque. The Lebanese
involved in this assault would clearly have been known to other people present,
and many people from the community would have seen them jump into their cars,
and would have been in a position to report their license plates. As yet, no charges have been laid for these assaults. The Lebanese community faces a test over this incident. Whether they will
support criminals in their communities, or whether they will cooperate with the
authorities in their new country to assist them in upholding its laws.
Carefully crafted rhetoric from the community leaders will not be sufficient to
allay the suspicion felt by the community of mainstream Australia.
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