After Death of Aboriginal Youth 30 Australian Police Injured in Riot

16/02/2004| IslamWeb

Thirty police officers were injured as they were pelted with bricks, bottles and petrol bombs in a riot sparked by the death of an Aboriginal teenager, police said. Reinforcements wearing riot gear were called in to control the violence which involved up to 100 youths in the suburb of Redfern, home to much of the city's Aboriginal community. The Redfern railway station was set alight, forcing its closure for several hours although it has since reopened. A police spokeswoman said the riot started on Sunday night and ended early Monday following the arrest of four people, with police still at the scene. "Thirty police officers were injured to varying degrees," she said. "I can confirm Molotov cocktails were used and there were bricks and bottles and such." Police commander Bob Waites said rioting began after the death of the youth, 17-year-old Thomas Hickey, who was impaled on a metal fence after falling from his bicycle on Saturday. Waites blamed misinformation for the riot. "The misinformation was that they were under the belief that the police were actually involved in a pursuit where an Aboriginal youth was killed and that wasn't true," he told reporters at the scene. He said one of the 30 injured officers was knocked unconscious when he was hit with a brick and some of the others had broken limbs. Police at first had sought to contain the rioting until enough reinforcements were brought in from across Sydney, including police rescue, the dog squad and highway patrol officers to contain it. Four people were arrested and were yet to be charged, but police expected to apprehend a number of others who were involved. Hickey's mother said police pursued her son, but the allegation was strongly denied by police who said they had no interest in the young man and did not know who he was. A local resident identified only as Donna told ABC radio that people were angry because they believed police were responsible for the teenager's death. "He was murdered," she said. "We've been down to look at the spot and everything and there's no sign, they cleaned it up that quick." **PHOTO CAPTION*** Three Australian police officers on patrol in Sydney. (AFP/File/Jeff Haynes)