A community leader has warned of growing fear among Australians of Indian origin in parts of Western Sydney, citing vandalism, online abuse and calls for stronger security measures.
Rattan Virk, an occupational therapist who previously ran as a Liberal candidate for the seat of Greenway, told 2GB Breakfast host Ben Fordham that “enough is enough” as she described what she sees as an increase in racism directed at her community.
Virk said that in Glenwood “three shops and an ATM have been vandalised and cash boxes have been taken from two shops”. She noted that “by coincidence, the three impacted businesses are owned by Australians of Indian origin”.
She stressed she was “not suggesting in any way, shape or form that this attack is a targeted attack”, but argued that “online hate creates an environment, which gives a free environment to do vandalism, not only in Glenwood, but every place”.
According to Virk, local community pages have been “flooded with bullying and hate”. She read out examples of online comments, including “cull the whole nation” in reference to India, and said she had also seen posts telling people to “hurt Indians’ feelings or the environment”.
“To be very honest, I was not aware. What does that mean? Then I searched the meaning of cull, cull the whole nation. And at that point, I said, it should stop. Enough is enough,” she said.
Asked whether this was an isolated perception, Virk said fear was spreading within the community. “People are scared. People are so scared, they do not want to go alone outside for a walk in the afternoon, in the evening. Or old people or people who cannot understand language very well or very fluent, they cannot go outside by themselves.”
She said the issue had intensified in recent years. “It’s recent time. I would say in the recent couple of years, I would say. It has increased. Now it has increased to such an extent that they are scared.”
“People are scared. People are so scared, they do not want to go alone outside for a walk in the afternoon, in the evening. Or old people or people who cannot understand language very well or very fluent, they cannot go outside by themselves”
Virk framed her concerns around safety and equal protection under the law. “Where is the security plan for our community? Where are the cameras and the patrols?” she asked, adding that laws “should be equally benefiting to all communities all around Australia”.
Reflecting on her own migration story, Virk said that after becoming an Australian citizen, “I have pledged my loyalty to Australia. What does that mean? That my soul, my body, my loyalty is for Australia.”
She said she teaches her family that “our loyalty lies in Australian values” and expressed concern about “safety and security for all the communities, for everyone”.
In a broader appeal, Virk told listeners, “We have to stand together. We have to love, we have to respect each other and we have to prosper as Australians because we are living in a very tough time. We have to come together.”
She concluded by recalling a remark from former prime minister Tony Abbott. “As once Tony Abbott has said, living in Australia is like winning a big lotto. So I think we’ve all won a big lotto and I want to keep it going like that.”
Fordham said most Australians “don’t have time for people who are racist” and encouraged bystanders to continue speaking up when incidents occur in public.
Virk said her aim in speaking out was to ensure that rising hostility did not go unchallenged and that communities felt protected under the same standards across the country.
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