**NSW Police had been recording racial and ethnic tensions and incidents in and around Cronulla since October 2005.[2]
**
Just after 3pm on Sunday, 4 December 2005,[1][3] police were called to North Cronulla Beach following a report of an assault on two volunteer surf lifesavers by a group of 8 Middle Eastern Men.[1][2][3][4][5] A verbal exchange had taken place after three lifesavers approached a group of four young Lebanese men on Cronulla Beach with both groups accusing the other of staring at them.[2] One of the Lebanese men responded to the accusations, “I’m allowed to, now **** off and leave our beach”[2] to which a lifesaver responded, “I come down here out of my own spare time to save you dumb cunts from drowning, now **** off you scum”.[2] The verbal exchange escalated with one Lebanese youth attempting to defuse the situation. Another then threw a punch but missed, prompting a pushing match that escalated into a fight. One of the lifesavers was badly hurt after falling and striking his head.[2] One of the lifesavers later informed police that the four were part of a group of eight Lebanese that had been on the beach most of the day and that there had been no problems with their prior behaviour. Despite media reports to the contrary, no “Middle Eastern Men converged on the area” and there were no more than the original eight present.[6][7]
“ What kind of grubs? Well I’ll tell you what kind of grubs this lot were. This lot were middle eastern grubs. ”