Police Contain Islam Protests in Melbourne, Sydney; Anti-Islam Video Hits Reach 13 Million
Police forces in New South Wales and Victoria contained Islam protests on Sunday in the two Australian states. The protests are part of the ongoing global mass action against a 14-minute video posted in YouTube titled Innocence of Muslims.
The video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAiOEV0v2RM) has gone viral and has more than 13 million hits. It caused a violent protest last week in Sydney which resulted in 17 people injured.
The planned Sunday protest, however, was did not push through. Authorities applauded the restraint showed by the Islamic community in the two states although there was an argument in the Melbourne between a Muslim couple and young men wearing Nazi insignias and Australian flags, and waving atheist placards.
Tension ran high in front of the Victorian State Library, site of a cancelled Islamic rally, when one of the four members of the right-wing group Nationalist Alternative waved a placard that said "(Just like all religions) Islam is false."
To avert violence, the police from the two states deployed extra officers. About 300 policemen were assigned to patrol in NSW including Hyde Park and the U.S. Consulate in Martin Place which were the focal points in last week's violent protest which was eventually condemned by Muslim leaders in Australia.
However, in Sydney, police arrested on Friday two men for using social networking sites to incite violence in the city's commercial business district over the weekend. The arrest led the police to monitor social media sites to watch for groups that will attempt to provoke more protest activities.