Melbourne, July 12: Tens of thousands of people,
including hundreds of Indians, on Sunday joined a `harmony walk`
here aimed at reaffirming Victorian government`s support for
multiculturalism and to send a strong message of Australia
being a safe destination for international students.
The march came as a step taken by Victorian government
after a spate of racial attacks against Indian students living
in Melbourne and Sydney caught serious media attention.
Indian students` apex body the Federation of Indian
Students Association (FISA) that had earlier threatened to
boycott the rally asked its members to present in the rally
but only as "observers."
"We were there as observers not as participators,"
FISA spokesperson Gautum Gupta said.
The group had earlier threatened to boycott the rally
as the government had decided not to allow Indian students to
speak during the `harmony walk`.
"It is unfortunate that the Government is trying to
exclude students from any meaningful discussion. We support
multiculturalism, but we do not support politicians trying to
divert attention and debate away from the victims, the unsafe
streets, the rising crime rate and the failure of the justice
system," FISA president Amit Menghani had said.
Bureau Report
