What did the Cronulla riot of December 2005 and its aftermath reveal about Australian society?

The first 200 words of this essay...

What did the Cronulla riot of December 2005 and its aftermath reveal about Australian society?

Australia is renowned for being a land of multiculturalism, a country rich in culture and diversity, and accepting of the belief systems of their citizen, however the events of the 11th of December 2005 when a crowd of roughly 5000 Anglo Australian took to the beaches of cronulla attacking anyone of "Middle Eastern" appearance, as response to an incident the previous weekend in which two lifesavers were injured after a confrontation with a group of Lebanese men. 1 What followed for several days were retaliation attacks by Middle Eastern groups, and constant fighting and bantering by both sides with young Australians travelling into the shire from other areas of Sydney to participate in the both sides riots.2 Through the cronulla riots and its aftermath, we see aspects of Australian Society questioned and ridiculed through media not only nationally but also on the international stage.

Key to the organization of the riots and also the retaliation attacks were forms of media in which organizations of rioters and also communication between rioters was made. The use of text messages by the rioters was seen as