Racial tensions behind weekend street brawl
By Marnie O'Neill
February 03, 2008 01:00am
Article from: The Sunday Telegraph
A STREET brawl involving as many as 100 young people in western Sydney was the result of long-simmering racial tensions.
Yesterday morning's vicious exchange was the result of growing tensions between local young Samoans and Aborigines.
Riot police, Polair and the mounted police were on stand-by last night in anticipation of further violence or possible revenge attacks at the Tregear Community Centre.
Mount Druitt police said about 100 young men and women, most of them teenagers, were involved in the brawl.
Police alleged bottles and other missiles flew after gatecrashers clashed with youngsters attending a girl's birthday at the centre.
The trouble broke outside Tregear Community Centre, which holds functions, events and classes for indigenous youth, at Tregear between midnight and 1am yesterday.
"I was walking up to the shops and there were all these Aboriginals sitting around outside (the centre) drinking," 16-year-old Azza Pvao said.
"About 10 of them ambushed me and chased me down the street.
"They cut my eye with a bottle and they tried to stab me. My brothers came to the rescue and that's when the fight broke out. Everything just went crazy."
Frankie Swine, 18, whose girlfriend Jennifer, 19, was hit in the forehead with a broken bottle, said tensions between the two groups had been brewing since a Christmas Eve stoush.
"The Samoans and the Aboriginals have been having problems for a while but nothing like this, this big, has happened before," he said.
Friends of the pair promised Jennifer and Azza's injuries would be avenged within the next few days.
The girl believed to have held the birthday party said the incident had been exaggerated.
"There's no way there were 100 people fighting,"she said.
"Some guys just got into a fight outside and that was it."
Acting Inspector Steve Vuletas of Mount Druitt police said police were on standby for more trouble, particularly in the wake of concerns youngsters would travel into the area from other suburbs to cause trouble.
"Further resources have been allocated to our command in the form of extra riot squad police, mounted police and the dog squad," Insp Vuletas said. "In terms of us expecting any further problems, no we're not, but we are just ensuring the safety of the community."
Officers from three local area commands, a police dog unit and the public order and riot squad raced to control yesterday's brawl.
Six teenage boys and girls were charged with offences ranging from offensive behaviour, failing to comply with police directions and breach of bail.
Topic: Black v's Black (Read 823 times)