Australians targets Indians via Anti-Immigration Rallies!
Australia has traditionally boasted a land of migrant mould. From the early British settlers to post-war European immigrants, its people are a patchwork of cultures. Indian-origin migrants are one of the fastest-growing groups and number close to 840,000 as of June 2023—around 3.2 percent of the population. Their impact on Australia’s workforce, schools, and economy cannot be doubted. But in recent months, a disturbing backlash gathered pace, undermining the very principle of multiculturalism.
Marches Against Migration Sweep Across Australia
On the weekend, “March for Australia” rallies were held in close to 20 cities, uniting thousands under an anti-immigration banner. Whereas organisers claimed to be marching against “mass migration,” the political rhetoric tended to focus on Indian-origin Australians. Pamphlets handed out at rallies bluntly declared: “MORE INDIANS IN 5 YEARS, THAN GREEKS AND ITALIANS IN 100.”
This remark not just distorts demographic facts but also encourages misplaced resentment at a moment when Australians are already fighting increasing housing expenses, inflation, and joblessness. For most poor households, migrants have turned into a convenient scapegoat.
Extremists Take the Spotlight
What is most troubling about these rallies is the hijacking by white supremacists, conspiracy theorists, and neo-Nazis. Prominent among them was the National Socialist Network, ably led by infamous extremist Thomas Sewell. Wearing Nazi-inspired regalia, Sewell spoke to adoring crowds while his organization later assaulted an Indigenous encampment, unveiling the deadly intersection of anti-Indigenous, racism, and xenophobia.
Cyber space only amplified this venom. Extremist Twitter accounts welcomed the marches, calling for Australia to be remade as a “WHITE NATION.” Others incredulously linked the immigration debate to wider reactionary calls, such as reversing women’s suffrage, rejecting climate science, and advocating anti-feminist policies.
Political Silence and Government Condemnation
Whereas traditional mainstream parties, Liberal and Labor alike, still openly recognize the positive contribution of Indian Australians, far-right factions give a very different portrayal. There are those who are apprehensive about the election impact of Indian voters, particularly with their increasing support for the Liberal Party. Such fear has been used to fuel division.
The Australian government, however, has staunchly decried the rallies. Authorities emphasized that these protests are not policy but rather extremist ideology based on hate and intimidation.
Why Indians Became the Focal Point
The Indians are not being targeted by accident. Their sudden population growth, professional strength, and growing cultural presence highlight them. But the fear that is being propagated is very misleading Indian migrants constitute a small percentage of Australia’s population. More significantly, their role in healthcare, technology, education, and small enterprise is vital to Australia’s economy.
Beyond Immigration: A Struggle for Identity
The protests tell us something more profound than migration trends—they tell us of a battle over national identity. As economic woes deepen, right-wing groups are playing on fears, pitting neighbors against neighbors. By casting immigration as a threat, they aim to resuscitate a myth of racial purity and social closure that has been discredited for decades.
Extremist voices set its course
The issue is no longer one of immigration policy alone. It is whether Australia will let extremist voices set its course or whether it will renew its reputation as a thriving, multicultural democracy. The Indian community, other migrant communities, are at the forefront of this argument—not as aliens, but as Australians who have their futures bound to the prosperity of the country.
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