Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been on the phone to New Delhi, assuring his Indian counterpart that Australia is not a racist country. But what does he know?
Crikey headed to the site of Sunday night’s rally, to ask international students having lunch at Melbourne’s Federation Square whether they found Australia to be “a country of great diversity, harmony and tolerance.” Whether they felt, like the PM, they were part of a multicultural nation, of people who “respect and embrace diversity, diversity which has enriched our nation.”
Deepak Pant
India
Been in Australia 10 months, student
“So far, so good — until now. There is a section of the youth that is racist. They don’t have knowledge of Indian people and for what they’re here, and how to react to people from other communities. Not everyone is like that, but there is a certain section of people. It’s mostly the youth.
“Indians are soft targets. They’re away from their family, they live alone, they can’t do anything.
“My family keep calling to ask if I’m okay. People get carried away. I’m getting sick of all the phone calls.”
Asim Masood
Pakistan
Been in Australia 10 months, student.
“There were these four white guys, and they said, ‘hey you, curry-Indian.’
“And I said, ‘no, I’m from Pakistan.’
“They said, ‘oh, no, it’s okay.’
“And they left me alone. I don’t know why, but it is Indians who are targeted.”
Varinder Singh
Punjab, India
Been in Australia one year, student
“There’s so many nationalities living here — Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan — and sometimes they don’t like each other. Sometimes we are on the train, shouting at each other, laughing, and some people don’t like that and they think we are silly, we are fools. And that is when there is racism.
“We are seen as easy targets. We have the fear that if we get into fights we have to go to the police station and it affects our PR.
“We can say this because it hasn’t happened to us. But also, this country is like our motherland. It has given us each and everything. Why would we want to fight it?”
Harkirangid Singh
Punjab, India
Been in Australia two years, recent graduate of hospitality administration, now working as a pastry chef
“Certain people are racists, but you can’t say Australia is a racist country. We don’t say anything. We’ve just come here to study, we don’t want to fight.
“It’s not just a matter of Indian students. It’s a matter of humans.”
So now that an indian student has been stabbed in dandenong we are seeing tbalanced reporting on this subject? Too late she cried as she waved her wooden leg.
Has any journalist in this country looked at the problem with anything but an eye for the big headline? These are the people who live and work in this country and they will have to put up with what has been beaten up by firstly one reporter from the age (who has not had a by-line since since.start the fire and run) and then the rest of the news media.
What effect will the actions of the last two weeks have on your average indian student who travels and lives in the community. They have had a big target put on their back as being rich and easy to rob. I doubt all indian students are rich (some of them I meet drive taxis to live, not for fun) almost as much as I doubt that all indian students are easy targets.
It does not matter theri race, creed, religion, sex or class
an ass is still an ass