Melbourne Indians live in fear

Thousands of Indians living in Melbourne are having sleepless nights after the spate of hate attacks in the last three days. DNA spoke to several professionals to find out the reasons behind the sudden attacks in Melbourne.

“The hate virus got its roots during the last general election when political parties made a big issue of illegal asylum seekers who arrive by boats. Australia has a long and porous coastline. The asylum seekers, or ‘boat people’, became the main issue during the last election campaign,” said a senior analyst working with the immigration department at the Victoria State headquarters.

“Most of the boat people arrive from Muslim-dominated countries like Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Lebanon and Bangladesh but locals think everybody coming from outside is a Muslim. After landing in Australia, the asylum seekers say they are refugees from war-ravaged Afghanistan and Iraq.

“In most of the recent attacks the victims sported a beard and were targeted by disgruntled locals,” said a research scholar working with the Melbourne University.

“Indians and other Asian nationals are very visible in the predominantly white society. Over 80% of taxi drivers in Melbourne are of Indian origin. Most workers in the hospitality sector are of Asian origin. This attracts the attention of locals who feel their jobs are being taken away by outsiders,” said another professor at a prestigious college.

“Language and mannerism of Asians, too, angers locals. Our people do not habitually use polite words like ‘thank you’, ‘sir’, ‘welcome’ or ‘sorry’. This offends locals, who feel we are arrogant,” said a taxi fleet owner in Melbourne.

“Unfortunately, the Melbourne police are understaffed to deal with such incidents. We need a specialised police unit to investigate racial crimes,” said a sociologist working with a Melbourne publishing firm.