Brumby vows to prevent attacks on Indians; says Oz not racist

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Mar 7 (PTI) Vowing not to tolerate any racial
attacks against Indians, Premier John Brumby of the Australian
state of Victoria which has witnessed most of these assaults,
said today there is "a small and ignorant minority" of people
who engage in such "repugnant" actions.
"Victorians abhor and condemn racism. That's because our
state is built on migration and cultures from around the
world. But there is a small and ignorant minority of people
who are racist," Brumby said in interview to PTI.
Acknowledging that Indians have fallen victim to violent
crimes here, he said "no matter how small in number, any crime
motivated by racism is outrageous and won't be tolerated."
"When an Indian family decides to send a son or daughter
to another country, they place their trust in that country. I
know Victorians would take that trust very seriously," said
Brumby, who is under pressure to tackle the crisis.
Insisting that Victoria, and indeed Australia, was not a
racist society, he said his government has repeatedly
condemned any racist behaviour -- violent or verbal.
"This behaviour is by a very small minority of people
whose actions are repugnant to most Australians," Brumby said.
However, he said the sad fact of any big urban city is
that there is crime which can impact any member of the public.
"I and the Government acknowledge that. The police
acknowledge that... I have always said that where it is a
racially-based motivated attack we condemn that in the
strongest possible terms," he said. (More) PTI