We’ve recently heard about several incidences of racism on public transport, including the infamous incident in Melbourne last November. Here’s some tips about how you can speak up if you do happen to witness racism in a public place.
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Where’s “has violence been threatened? Call the cops immediately.”
Weren’t Transit Police invented for this kind of thing?
At a restaurant recently, the oaf at the next table said very loudly that he hated — yes, hated — Indian food. So I leaned across and asked him very gently if he was aware that almost one billion Indians eat it every day, including many in Australia. Should their preferences be villified, I asked him? Where’s the respect? How would he feel if almost one billion Indians all said at once that Chico Rolls were hateful!
I tell you, the air was electric until, slowly, a smile grew upon his face and he started laughing.
See, it can work. In that instant he saw how his silly attitudes were just ridiculous. For the rest of the night, every time pour eyes met, he would laugh and laugh.
The problem with the “infamous incident in Melbourne” wasn’t racism, it was xenophobia. A number of Australians behave as if the entire nation of Australia is a small town and if you don’t come from around here, you’re not welcome. You can be a citizen of this country, but if you don’t have the accent, don’t expect work commensurate with your skills.
Alex, the bulk of Transit Police are, in my experience, too busy harassing Aboriginal GIRLS to bother policing very much at all.
Speak out against Racism wherever you happen to witness it. I had the privilege/pleasure of having a bunch of Anglo/Australian high school kids ejected from a bus simply by approaching the driver. The young woman, (Indian) who was being bullied, was stuck there weeping and was frightened when I approached her to reassure her. Bless the bus driver, he didn’t hesitate to throw the perps off the bus. The entire bus applauded! Not everybody is a racist, thank goodness.
Hi,
I have a work colleague who is experiencing racial discrimination.
He has reported it to Human Resources
The first time it was reported the person received a warning and was made to aplogize .
A few weeks later the behavior continued and my colleage re-reported the issue to Human Resrouces
The outcome is the same.
Is there anything we can do, perhaps somewhere we can report externally for an external investigation,
Any advise would be apprciated,
Regards
Thu Nguyen