Cowardly Racially-based Attacks

Today, I heard a really concerning report on the ABC news about a number of attacks upon international students which have occurred recently at the University of New South Wales. It's unclear whether the attackers are motivated by intent to commit robbery or to commit assault, but the fact is that the victims are being chosen solely based on their race. Only international students have been attacked. Most of the attacks have happened at night, while the international student has been leaving the university and on his or her own. Imagine - these students have come to Australia, a supposedly safe and welcoming country, to further their education through tertiary study and instead they have to fear for their personal safety and their possessions. How appalling and terrifying!

At first, I was puzzled by the police officer's description of the victims as 'soft' targets, but he went on to explain his meaning - that the attack victims are selected specifically based on the unlikelihood of them retaliating. The attacker's job is therefore much easier and the assault or robbery (or both) proceeds quite predictably, from the attacker's point of view, at least.

After thinking this through, I have to say that the only 'soft' individuals in these situations are the attackers themselves. They are soft, in that they are weak, amoral and, quite clearly, racist. Further to this, since most of the attacks have been carried out by a group of perpetrators rather than an individual acting alone, they are completely cowardly.

It makes me very sad to think that such a mentality still exists in our country. Who are these perpetrators and how dare they position themselves as more powerful than other human beings, based on race alone? How awful that these students have had to experience such an ordeal. While so many individuals have dedicated their life's work to promoting principles of inclusivity, valuing diversity and multiculturalism, there is clearly a long way to go when such terrible racially-based incidents continue to occur in our country.

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