Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has urged communities to embrace compassion and reject division, following two stabbing assaults in Sydney this week.
Sivaraman prolonged his condolences to all affected by the assault on the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, and the lethal stabbings at Westfield Bondi Junction.
Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman.Credit score: Dan Peled
“Like the remainder of the nation, I’ve been left numb and damaged by the tragic occasions which have occurred,” Sivaraman stated. “My coronary heart goes out to the victims, their households, mates and wider communities, and anybody struggling after what’s been [a] horrific few days.”
Sivaraman stated he was heartened by the nationwide present of help already being supplied to the victims, however is anxious by the studies of racism, divisive rhetoric, and mis and disinformation across the assaults.
“These are tough and distressing occasions. Feelings are understandably excessive, however it is necessary we guarantee it doesn’t spill over into an indignant or hateful response,” Sivaraman stated.
“With incidents of the character that we’ve seen, there’s a heightened threat of racism. Following the Bondi tragedy, I used to be very involved by the antisemitic and Islamophobic commentary that flooded components of social media – as some, ignorantly and even malevolently, tried to wrongly apportion blame for the assaults.
“Communities shouldn’t be tarred by the actions of people. There is no such thing as a place in our nation, or anyplace, for racism of any type. I urge all Australians to reject those that attempt to divide us and discover methods, in our frequent humanity, to rise above.”
