Wave of violent attacks on Indians hits Melbourne

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

MELBOURNE (AFP) — Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Thursday condemned a wave of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne after the latest assault left a 25-year-old fighting for his life.

Indian student Sravan Kumar Theerthala was stabbed with a screwdriver early Sunday morning when a group of teenagers gatecrashed a party he was attending in the suburbs of Australia's second largest city.

He remains in intensive care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital following the attack, in which police said other men were also assaulted.

It was the latest in a series of attacks on students from the sub-continent which has prompted authorities here to set up a help line where victims can report incidents to Hindi and English-speaking operators.

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Victoria state police estimate Indians make up 30 percent of robbery victims in Melbourne's western suburbs, where many of the students live.

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Police set up a community liaison group in January to examine the issue after an armed robbery in a convenience store left an Indian man in a coma.

They have also boosted numbers on a robbery taskforce in Melbourne's western suburbs and are considering sending officers to Indian cities to educate Australia-bound students about how to minimise the risk of being attacked.

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Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA) president Amit Menghani said ... "Indian students are being targeted and attacked. The level of crime is increasing and it's a concern for the student community."

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Menghani said Indians would examine studying elsewhere if they did not feel safe in Australia. The violence has already prompted headlines such as "Australia land of racism" in Indian online media.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...kbKKTOzFz-ttSkQ

Edited May 28, 2009 by Randomizer

[Nagishkaw 510]

That's just not right.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What's wrong with Australians these days? Too much hip-hoppity?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"Land of Racism"

BY will be pissed...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

"Land of Racism"

Wouldn't be the first time I've heard this about the land down under. Consensus among people of my ethnic background seems to be that both the UK and Australia are much more 'hostile' to us than the US is.

[Nagishkaw 510]

But why target Indians?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

But why target Indians?

Probably lots of them where these attacks are happening.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yeah there is a lot of anti-indian/pakistani racism in the UK, perhaps less so in relation to afro/caribbean blacks.

[Amby 490]

I'd say it's probably those baggy pants they're wearing

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

But why target Indians?

Its usually the predominant minority - would be my guess.

There are areas of London, Birmingham (and a few large towns that have largely indian/pakistani/bangladeshi populations). Those are the areas where you tend to get the most tension by/toward that ethnic group.

Down south - it was its more directed at the eastern european refugees from the Balkans wars (at least it was when I was living there).

Edited May 28, 2009 by Private Pike

[Nagishkaw 510]

That is still messed up.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

That is still messed up.

Yeah - its the same the world over though. You get similar tensions towards people of North African descent in France - bunch of other places too.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

That is still messed up.

Yeah - its the same the world over though. You get similar tensions towards people of North African descent in France - bunch of other places too.

The mayoral race in Edison (NJ) this year is basically an ethnic turf war between Asians (east and south) and the old European ethnics (eyetalians, irish, etc.).

It descends into violence quite regularly, the cops are all old euro ethnics and indian kids get the beat down with regularity.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

nice. v. nice. I thought this sort of thing did not happen there. I've been lied to

[almaty 19]

wow, Oz hates Indians and any other non white human