The continuing saga of attacks on Indians and specifically Indian students in Australia contains elements of both tragedy and farce. The tragedy, of course, lies in the attacks themselves while the reactions from the Australian authorities are ridiculous and ludicrous — especially in the face of such violence. The Victoria police chief’s latest statement that Indians in Australia should try to “look poor” to avoid being attacked seems to imply a certain inability to face facts and to prefer a state of denial.
The fact of the matter is that the number of attacks on Indians has increased in some parts of Australia. It is not just that there are racist elements in Australian society. This is well known and well documented and the biggest sufferers have been native Aboriginals at the hands of white invaders. It has taken centuries to try and give Aboriginals their due, most of which happened only in the late 20th century. It was around the same time that Australia also realised that its ‘whites only’ policy was counter-productive in a rapidly changing geo-political dynamic and it started inviting migrants from non-white countries.
There may well be sections of Australian society which are opposed to non-white settlers regardless of government policy; but that is not the immediate problem. What causes concern is the apparent inability of the Australian government to deal with what is going on. It seems unable to contain the attacks and the inference is that since it is denying racism, it cannot get to the root.
Asking Indians to “look poor” is the most recent absurdity and returns elliptically to the idea that these attacks are criminal in nature rather than racist. This is in spite of officials only a few weeks ago admitting that the attacks were racist. Flip-flopping of this nature is dangerous not just for migrants but also for indigenous populations and new arrivals because it shows an inherent confusion between official-speak and official-do.
Indians can listen to the advice of the Victoria police chief and try to look poor and keep their iPods in their pockets when they walk down the street. But given the history of the recent attacks, this is not likely to make a difference. Many of those attacked have been students working at menial jobs to try and get by in a foreign land, so the argument is faulty at the outset. Instead, India needs to demand from Australia better protection and better policing for its citizens, not empty assurances and public relations exercises from cricket stars.
Comments