Were Not Racists..... I Hope?!!

In May and June 2009, Indian media reported what it saw
to be racially motivated attacks against Indians, especially students.
Rallies were organised in Melbourne and Sydney,
and intense coverage of the perceived hate crimes commenced in India,
being especially critical of Australia and Australian police services.
The Australian government initially called for calm as it investigated the attacks.
Although people from a range of different ethnic backgrounds had been
involved in perpetrating the attacks, and investigations revealed that
at least two of the later attacks had been perpetrated by Indians
and "had nothing to do with race", the Victorian Chief Commissioner
announced that some of the attacks were racist in nature or
that they incorporated racist elements. Reaction from the Australian
population was generally sympathetic to the plight of the students.
but The Australian foreign editor Greg Sheridan criticised as "pathetic"
the response from a Victorian government ignorant to the serious
economic and human dimensions of the assaults.

[pic]     [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has moved to reassure New Delhi that
Australia isn't a racist nation, as attacks against Indian students
threaten to disrupt relations between the two countries.

The violence has made headlines around the world and India has warned
it could jeopardise Australia's lucrative education sector,
which earns $2 billion annually from Indian students.

There are believed to have been more than 70 assaults during the past year,
culminating in a number of stabbings in Melbourne last week.

And the issue threatens to erupt further after claims police were heavy-handed
when breaking up a rally blocking a major Melbourne city intersection overnight.

Mr Rudd warned the attacks threatened to "impair" the good relations between
Australia and India.

The Rudd government has been keen to build the relationship with India,
one of the powerhouse...