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Australia braces itself for more violence

SYDNEY: Hundreds of police fanned out across southern Sydney late on Wednesday to prevent more race-based rioting, and a Muslim youth leader said cell phone text messages were being used to urge an end to the violence. Mobile phone messages have been blamed for fomenting race riots that erupted in southern Sydney on Sunday and spilled into Monday. The police have reported copycat messages being sent in cities around Australia, sparking fears the violence could spread. Some have tried to reverse the tactic, using the messages to urge calm. ``We now have reversed the tide of text messages that suggest violence,'' said Saed Kanawati, of United Muslims of Australia. ``We are now sending text messages out to encourage peace and quench the whole thing.'' — AP

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