Walk for Harmony

Tomorrow afternoon, through the streets of Melbourne, a celebration of diversity and multiculturalism will be taking place. The Walk for Harmony looks to highlight the many different cultures that have shaped the city's dynamic and made it into the urban landscape it is today.

But the walk taking place tomorrow afternoon will also be addressing another agenda as well. It will be looking to tackle concerns both domestically and abroad regarding the recent violence towards Indian students. While this violence should not be condoned in any circumstances, as any violence against individuals of any background should not be acceptable, the representation of the attacks against Indian students appears to have been excessive in its promotion of Victorian's as racist. While there has been a recent increase in attacks against Indian students, which is a disturbing trend, there has not been any decisive evidence that indicates that Indian students have been specifically targeted.

Just because Indian students have been attacked does not mean that Victorians are racist. These people may be targeted because the attackers have perceived them as vulnerable individuals rather than a disliked group. This is not a refusal to acknowledge the recent spate of violent attacks, but a critique on the notion that these attacks have all been fuelled by racism.

Hopefully tomorrows Walk for Harmony will be a reminder of the generally accepting and tolerant character of all Victorians, and highlight how diverse and unique our society is. It will also indicate the number of people who support this diversity and multiculturalism, and subsequently oppose the recent outbreak of violence against the community of Indian students.