A day at the beach: ‘Underwater I felt free from the politics of my existence for the first time’

‘Being denied a space on these beaches was in many ways being denied a place in Sydney’: Mostafa Rachwani at Bronte beach. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

Hate can be a powerful force, energising violence, terrorising people and reshaping how you see yourself.

I was 14 years old when I watched the Cronulla riots play out on TV. I don’t remember the details of the day, or the politics of the moment, but I remember vividly what it felt like to be a Lebanese boy in Sydney in 2005.