Sydney beach riot game condemned

CANBERRA - A board game glorifying race riots that gripped Sydney's beaches nearly a year ago might be banned to prevent further violence.

The game, called "Cronulla Monopoly", invites players to "Win back Australia" by buying and selling land in the southern beach suburbs hardest-hit by clashes last December between white Australian youths and ethnic-Lebanese Australians.

A far-right website promoting the game said it was "dedicated to all those who stood up for the freedoms of all fair dinkum Aussies".

"The board game for Aussies, commemorating the efforts of all those who had the guts to come along to the rally at Cronulla on 11th December 2005 to defend the Aussie way of life," it said.

A "reclaim the beach" rally sparked days of racial attacks by demonstrators wearing slogans such as "We Grew Here, You Flew Here" and "Aussie Pride". Cars, shops and churches were damaged in the violence, which followed an attack on a pair of beach lifeguards. Police later identified members of far-right organisations in the crowds, including the Australia First Party and the Patriotic Youth League, which has links to the US-based skinhead group Volksfront and the British National Party.

The Australia First Party carried an internet link to the board game, but denied responsibility for designing it, warning the game could breach national anti-discrimination laws. The game, which can be downloaded free or printed from the website, asks winners to donate to right-wing political parties who would enter Parliament and "win back Australia".

New South Wales state Premier Morris Iemma said he wanted the game banned because it glorifies violence. "It promotes acts of violence against members of the community [and] incites people to engage in acts of violence."

Police have mounted special summer patrols of Sydney's beaches, including dog units, roadside vehicle checks and aerial surveillance, to prevent a recurrence of last year's violence.

- REUTERS