Dissecting the so called Racist attack on Indian Students (Mid 2009)

A little background about myself to convince people that I have some credibility to talk about this issue. I worked in Sydney in 2002 on a Business Visa for about 8 months. I studied in Melbourne for two years between 2004 and 2006, following which I worked in Brisbane for about 8 months. Then on I have worked and continued to live in Melbourne till now.

I like Australia and would never want to leave this lucky country. Infact I have not visited India since I came here to study in 2004. The recent spate (early 2009) of incidents aimed at Indian students has led me to take a step back and analyse why all of this could possibly be happening.

On a general note, I have seen a marked increase in violence in Melbourne since my first arrival in 2004. The stabbings, fights in pubs, beating up taxi drivers and bag snatches in shopping malls have made news in recent times. Not all of this has involved Indian students. However, there definitely seems to be a pattern on Indian student attacks. I will not go into the list of attacks, I am sure you can google it yourself.

I do not think racism is the only reason for the attacks, I believe it is a combination of a few factors. I personally have experienced racism in Australia. All of that are from uneducated bogans with nothing better to do in life. Be it my workplace or at university I have not experienced one shred of racism. All that matters is your professionalism. Everything else is unimportant at the University or the workplace. The recognition of professionalism and the work culture is one of the things that attracted me to Asutralia.

Now let me discuss the possible reasons for the incidents.

Reason 1: The uneducated Australian youth in general are getting intolerant because of a variety of reasons including binge drinking, drugs and what have you. It is this segment, I believe, that is responsible for most of the attacks. I attribute this to be one of the major factors for the increase in general violence over the years.

Reason 2: Australia is a multi ethnic multicultural society and that is the fabric of Melbourne and this is what makes Melbourne great. Over the decades the English, Italians, Chinese and a host of other communities have migrated to Australia. In comparison to all of them I believe the Indians have taken the least amount of time to get established in the society. It is not surprising to see a large percentage of First generation Indians in Australia to be earning a high 5 figure salary from the 3 rd or 4^th year since they have set shore in Kangaroo land. It has taken the other communities a few generations to what the Indians have achieved in one. This fact could be a possible irritant to some.

Reason 3: The “R” word. Recession is taking its toll on everyone and if we were to learn anything from history the level of crime always increases during times of economic distress. The old saying “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” comes to mind.

Reason 4: The Indian students themselves have to take some of the blame. Loud Bhangra music on their iPods in the morning peak hour train could put anyone off. Talking loud in your mother tongue in the train which is already filled to the brim is not something people look forward to at the end of a days work. I have advised some of these students, but they tend to have an attitude, “who the hell are you to tell me what I am supposed to do”. I am sure they would react differently if a white skinned Australian told them to keep quiet.

Reason 5: The Australian justice system and the ineffective Victorian Police have brought a sense of fearlessness among culprits, to the extent they believe they can get away with anything. The police are tied in a way they just can’t arrest a guy and beat the shit out of one to testify against oneself, like they do in India. Ethics, morality and human rights do have their place in Australia. Unless, the police are handed with all the evidence in a platter they will assume the accused is innocent, which is what they are legally expected to do.

I was quite amused by the comment of the Assistant Commissioner that the Indian students are soft targets and they carry valuable items like mobile phones, iPods and laptops. Since, when did these items become valuable? I see school kids having all three these days.

So, whilst there is a pattern here, I beleive these attacks not to be merely racial in nature. For a westerner it is hard to distinguish Indians, from Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis or even Nepalis. So, are Indians really being picked on, or is it just bad luck for being at the wrong spot at the wrong time?

I welcome comments from all. I am sure you have something to share.