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 SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Lawmakers in New South Wales state passed emergency laws Thursday giving police new powers to crack down on race rioters after days of unrest plagued Sydney's southern beach suburbs.
In one of Australia's worst outbreaks of racial violence, a mob of 5,000 white youths, many of them drunk, descended on Cronulla Beach on Sunday, fought with police and attacked people they believed were Arab.
The disturbances continued for three nights, escalating into retaliatory attacks and vandalism on churches, prompting New South Wales parliament to halt its summer recess for an emergency session Thursday.
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