Flag burner jailed for three months

Miracles do happen

A [Lebanese] man who helped burn an Australian flag after the Cronulla race riot has been sentenced to three months in jail. Hadi Khawaja, 24, of Peakhurst, faced Sutherland Local Court today charged with malicious damage and entering enclosed lands with intent to commit an indictable offence during public unrest. Khawaja, who has been an Australian citizen since 1986, pleaded guilty to participating in damaging an Australian flag at the Brighton-le-Sands RSL on the evening of December 11 as retaliatory violence spread through Sydney suburbs.

His teenage co-accused, who cannot be named, is alleged to have climbed the flagpole and thrown the flag down to Khawaja who set it alight amidst a crowd of about 150 people.

Khawaja, who has faced court before over unrelated drug matters, had previously failed to answer a court summons in relation to a larceny charge, the court heard. A remorseful Khawaja today said he was sorry for damaging the flag. "It was a stupid thing to do and not something me as a person would normally do," Khawaja told the court. "I'd like to apologise to the whole Australian community for the act that I did."

Magistrate Paul Falzon sentenced him to concurrent jail terms of three months in prison for each offence, backdated to December 23. In sentencing, Mr Falzon said despite Khawaja not actually being involved in the race riots he had to take them into account. "In context of what happened at this time the item chosen was of significance to the majority of people who were in this country," Mr Falzon told the court. Khawaja is due for release on March 27.

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