From rxpgnews.com
Croat and Serb leaders condemn Australian Open clashes
By DPA,
Jan 16, 2007 - 11:09:49 AM
Sydney, Jan 16 - Leaders of Australia's Croat and Serb communities on Tuesday condemned the mob violence that marred the opening of the Australian Open in Melbourne a day earlier.
Police have pledged to prevent a reprise of the ethnic clashes that led to 150 Serbs and Croats being expelled from the tennis grounds Monday, the opening day of the Australian Open.
Fans hurled bottles and beer cans at each other in the Garden Square precinct at Melbourne Park about an hour after play began. More than 40 police rushed to separate the two sides.
George Marinkovic, editor of the Serbian Voice, said the brawl brought disgrace to both communities.
'On our Australian Open, to see something like that is a shame, it's a shame of these Australian-born,' Marinkovic told Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 'I would ban the flags. You are in Australia, you fly an Australian flag.'
Tom Starcevic, a spokesman for the Croatian Herald weekly, said ethnic rivalry and a history of violent disputes was no excuse for the scenes in central Melbourne.
'I mean even at the height of the - War in the 1990s the incidence of violence between the communities was very low,' Starcevic said. 'For these things to happen now, when it's 15 years since the war has gone and everything, really these things belong to the past and we're living in Australia now.'
After consultations with the police, Australian Open director Craig Tiley promised stern action against troublemakers.
'We know and we're confident that we have safety measures in place that do protect our fans,' he told a local television. 'If yesterday is any indication I know both our police and our safety teams will be definitely evicting any fans that are going to cause any disruptions to the fantastic enjoyment of this event.'
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