Thousands of Indian students have staged militant protests in the streets of Australian cities for weeks to fight back against a series of violent racist attacks.
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Australian authorities have repeatedly blamed the victims and officially denied that racism is involved. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has even gone to the lengths of warning Indian students to halt their protests. He has proclaimed, “Australia is not a racist country.”
Rudd’s action fly in the face of his words: Australia’s history is saturated with racism against indigenous and immigrant communities. Indian students in Australia have faced a growing number of racist anti-immigrant assaults since 2004.
In the face of government inaction, the racist assaults have continued unabated. In response, Kumari Selja, India’s tourism minister, has cancelled a scheduled visit to the country.
