Violence in Australia Isn’t Only Towards Indians

by Sharell on December 22, 2009

in Visiting Australia

There are only a few more days left until Christmas in Australia. However, this festive season hasn’t been a happy occasion for many people. It has, unfortunately, been marred by a great deal of violence. More violence than in prior years.

In Sydney, a Christmas carols event had to be abandoned after a policeman was punched by an aggressive youth. In Melbourne, vandals smashed one of the Christmas windows of the Myer department store. As a result, the nativity scene had to be completely removed. In Ballarat, a small city north of Melbourne, vandals burned down the city’s large Christmas tree and caused an estimated $60,000 damage. Another family in suburban Melbourne had their blow-up Santa stabbed and reindeer stolen.

The list could go on. My point though is, that Australia has an increasing violence problem. The sad truth is that the violence is so widespread, even Christmas isn’t safe from it!

The Indian media has greatly focused on the violence towards Indians in Australia, giving the misleading impression that Australians hate Indians and are racist. However, a quick hunt through the news shows that it’s not just Indians who are getting attacked in Melbourne. Australians have been bashed too, such as 33 year old Jeffrey Pooler who was left in a coma. A young woman was also found wandering the streets of Melbourne, with a stab wound to her stomach and her face slashed.

I was speaking to my mum about the issue. Her view is that the violence problem has a lot to do with Australia’s immigration. People, including refugees, from more aggressive countries are coming to live in Australia and they are forming gangs and fighting. The wide availability of alcohol and Australia’s teenage drinking problem is also not helping.

My mum said she actually feels that I’m safer in India. It’s true that I can walk around the streets of Mumbai and not feel threatened. The worst thing I have to deal with is men’s stares.

The reason why I’m really writing this though, is to try and encourage people of Indian origin to believe that Australians aren’t focused on singling them out and harming them. Tragically, the terrible issue of violence extends much beyond that.

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{ 306 comments… read them below or add one }

Amit Desai February 6, 2010 at 5:34 pm

“…with no skills but herding mountain goats…”

I think ‘herding mountain goats’ can be considered quit a good skill, at least it can be developed into an amazing skill. But, are we really that bad (or good) as herdsman? (oh, I seriously hope you are not alluding to the two strong bisexual ‘herdsmen’ in the Hollywood movie Broke-back Mountain!!!). Anyway, a valuable history session taught by Indian American (and Nik’s exclusive therapy that turns a ‘traitor’ into a ‘brave warrior’ with out any conventional products invented by the ‘white man’ such as steroids or protein shakes) is that ‘the British’ proved ‘herding mountain goats’ can be developed into a great skill. These herdsmen (the Brits) practiced this skill for nearly 400 years on their rather colorful goats, such that the latter breeds of these goats are as bewildered as the former!!!!

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Amit Desai February 8, 2010 at 9:46 am

@ Abdullah, “…A few new developments:…”

Could you please also find ‘a bunch of limp-wristed Gujjus’ who have been constantly involved in such ‘masculine’ acts? Or you may also want to find those ‘south Indians who are next to Gujjus in their limp-wristedness’. I am not sure of the origins of the ‘limp-wristedness’ in Gujjus. However, the ‘limp-wristedness’ of south Indians lie in their ‘strong mathematical abilities’. Among 27 great Indian mathematicians in last 2000+ years, as many as 9 are only from two provinces, Tamilnadu and Kerala. Interestingly, due to their ‘limp-wristedness’, people of these two provinces never invented any of the ‘Indian martial arts’ (such as ‘Kalaripayatu’, Chilambam, Kuttu Varisai, and ‘Varma ati’). Enough of rattling about south Indians, I am going to take lessens in ‘Pehlvani’ only…

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Amit Desai February 8, 2010 at 9:47 am

I meant ‘lessons’, haha.

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Matt April 22, 2010 at 10:53 pm

Hi all, I know I missed the party on this discussion by a few months. However, I followed the attacks on indian students keenly, and so have been itching to say soemthing for a while. The standard of debate here is largely of a much higher level than the Indian Times and the Sydney Morning Herald, haha.
Firstly, I’m a young male white Australian living in Sydney. I’m dating an Indian Australian girl who came here when she was four, please don’t think I am trying to use that as a form of legitmacy.
Sharell I quite like your blog but I think your reasoning for this topic smells a bit of apologetism. Australia is not a dangerous country. It is one of the safest countries in the world, according to statistics. As a 19 year old my friends are able to travel around and from the city at all hours of the night (I have friends that cover all the main race groups, since it has been brought up). Yes, there are people who have been attacked, yes, Australia is not a utopia. But if you looked at the statistics more deeply, 90 attacks is not that high a number in the context of the hundreds of thousands of people of south asian origins.
I really doubt that any of the attacks have been racially motivated. Not because Australians aren’t racist. Most are, in some minor way that they are not aware of. Usually because of ignorance. What defines that racism is apathy, though. Australians don’t care enough about Indians to go out and hunt them. Indians are just some of the many nationalities and cultures that make up Australia.
I really encourage everyone to go to Australia and see it, I really am thankful that I live in such a nice country. By the same token, I plan to visit India and see her famous splendors. Until then, I’ll have to make do with this great blog, haha.

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sss May 7, 2010 at 10:55 am

Violence in Australia are perpetrated by followers of the peaceful religion. Where ever they go/settle – violence is bound to come. We can’t blame them for their behaviour. It is their scripture which preaches the violent ideology.
check this site faithfreedom.org

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zte May 7, 2010 at 12:59 pm

@sss
faithfreedom.org <–that is a bigoted site
and as i stated many times here both these monotheistic religions are hostile towards other belief systems and the most hostile is christianity but their actions were rarely noticed or condemned by the worlds population
and we are talking about indians/hindus here what does most of them has to do with islam anyway?

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