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Five moments when Aussies shouted down racism

WHILE the tragic events at Martin Place have prompted racist attacks, many Aussies are refusing to sit idly by. Here are five moments when ordinary Australians shouted down racism this week.

Charis ChangCharis Chang
@CharisChang2
3 min read
December 17, 2014 - 4:19PM
#illridewithyou goes viral

ON Tuesday, angry commuters in Melbourne shouted down a man who was racially vilifying a women dressed in a chador on a peak-hour train.

The victim was travelling into the CBD on an Upfield line train when the abuse allegedly began. But fellow passengers quickly stood up to the abuser and told him to leave the woman alone.

“Loop train at North Melb delayed by racist scumbag abuse of woman in chador. Proud of the many Upfield/Craigieburn commuters who stood up,” Twitter user BaronessClash said.

A chador is a traditional garment for Muslim women. It is usually a long black cloth that covers the body from head to toe and covers all or part of the face.

Another commuter on the train contacted the Herald Sun to say a death threat had been made against the woman.

Police confirmed they boarded a train at North Melbourne train station at 9am and removed a man aged in his 40s.

The tragic events this week at Martin Place have emboldened some into racist attacks, but increasingly many Aussies are refusing to sit idly by, as these examples show.

A GUY STOOD UP TO RACISM AT A PETROL STATION

When Paul Gunter saw an attendant at a Central Coast service station being abused on Tuesday morning, he felt he had to step in.

“I was on my way to work, I stopped in to grab a coffee and as I walked in, this guy was abusing the service attendant ... who was of Indian or Pakistani heritage,” Mr Gunter told news.com.au.

“The tradie said `your type aren’t welcome in this country’ and `you should go back to where you came from’.

Mr Gunter suggested the man pay for his things and get out.

Paul Gunter says he felt he had to intervene. Picture: Twitter @PG3_12
Paul Gunter says he felt he had to intervene. Picture: Twitter @PG3_12

“At this point he pushed me, I shoved him back and told him to get out. He swore and carried on, but grabbed his things and left,” he said.

Mr Gunter said he felt like he had to intervene.

“I was taught at a young age, by my parents, that we are all people, we are all unique and that is what makes our country great. It doesn’t matter where you or your family came from, it doesn’t matter when you got here, we are all Australian and we all belong here.

“It was a terrible thing that happened in Sydney, it was one man, an evil man committing an evil act against the world. It’s important to me that people don’t blame Islam. It is important that we don’t blame Muslims. Because this man wasn’t Muslim, he was evil.”

WHEN SPECTATORS IN MARTIN PLACE DEFENDED MUSLIMS

Hundreds of people gathered in Martin Place while the siege was taking place on Monday and the event also attracted members of the right wing anti-Islamic group Australian Defence League.

One man tried to rile up the crowd by shouting that there was no such thing as a moderate Muslim.

But according to one Guardian journalist, spectators were mostly tolerant and shouted down those making racist remarks.

A man yells out anti-Islamic statements during the siege at Martin Place. Photo: Chris McKeen
A man yells out anti-Islamic statements during the siege at Martin Place. Photo: Chris McKeen

WHEN ONE WOMAN OFFERED TO RIDE WITH MUSLIMS

Sydney TV content editor Tessa Kum reportedly “broke” when she read a Facebook post about one Muslim woman’s reaction to news of the siege.

“The (presumably) Muslim woman sitting next to me on the train silently removes her hijab,” Brisbane woman Rachael Jacobs wrote.

“I ran after her at the train station. I said ‘put it back on. I’ll walk with u’. She started to cry and hugged me for about a minute - then walked off alone.”

Kum decided to post a thoughtful tweet from her account @sirtessa:

She received such a strong response from the Twittersphere that she suggested the #illridewithyou hashtag. The idea quickly took off, with people throughout Australia pledging their support for Australia’s Muslim community.

At its height, 1,153 tweets per minute were being sent using the hashtag on Monday night.

WHEN PEOPLE ON TWITTER REFUSED TO HATE

While some internet users became angry and posted racist comments, there were many more spreading a message of unity.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/five-moments-when-aussies-shouted-down-racism/news-story/2d414aa22534cdd2985b6a0d44d39ea6