In Australia, police are preparing for a possible third night of civil unrest following some of the worst racial violence in the country’s history. On Sunday a mob of 5,000 people rampaged across Cronulla beach near Sydney chanting racist slogans and attacking men and women of Lebanese descent. Some of the attackers had wrapped themselves in the Australian flag and chanted: “No more Lebs.” More than 30 people were injured and 16 were arrested. Racially-motivated attacks were also reported in the western Australian city of Perth.

• Australian Prime Minister John Howard: “Mob violence is always sickening and always to be unconditionally condemned, attacking people on the basis of their race, appearance or ethnicity is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians irrespective of their own background and irrespective of their politics.”

Last night 11 arrests were also made after a group of men of Middle Eastern descent went back into the town of Cronulla for what police described as revenge. On Thursday Australian state lawmakers plan to hold a special session to consider new laws to allow police to lock down areas and give police greater power to conduct searches and confiscate cars.