Sydney police close beaches after attacks

It may be the epitome of the Australian way of life, but this weekend Sydneysiders were urged to stay way from their beloved beaches to prevent a recurrence of last week's racial violence between gangs of surfers and youngsters of Lebanese extraction.

Police set up checkpoints on 31 roads leading to the beaches south of the city, searching cars, creating traffic jams and leaving the city's summer playgrounds looking forlorn in the sweltering run-up to Christmas.

The government described it as the biggest security operation since the 2000 Olympics, with up to 1,500 police on the streets to prevent any more of the trouble that has dented Australia's cherished image as "the lucky country".

There were 19 arrests on Friday night as part of "Operation Seta" to tackle racial violence.

"This is not a normal weekend," Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scipione of New South Wales police said. "If nothing was to happen this weekend, we would deem our operation a success."

The eye of the storm last weekend was Cronulla beach, where gangs of white Australians attacked people of Middle Eastern appearance in retaliation for what they said were attacks on lifeguards. Lebanese and Muslim youngsters reciprocated, attacking cars and shops, and assaulting surfers.

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