Indians attacked in Australia amid Rudd nephew protest

Source: bbc

Two Indian students have been assaulted in the Australian city of Melbourne - the latest in a series of attacks targeting people from India.

A group of attackers allegedly made racist comments before kicking and punching the students on Monday.

One victim was taken to hospital and underwent surgery. Police have charged five men over the attacks, reports say.

Meanwhile, the Australian prime minister's nephew has been fined for protesting against the assaults.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8481165.stm

How can Australian authorities fine the prime minister's nephew for protesting AGAINST the assaults? Is that even legal?

Anyway, this is horrible. Should be condemned by every decent person. :mad:

"Van Thanh Rudd - the son of PM Kevin Rudd's brother - and another man dressed in Ku Klux Klan costumes and carried anti-racism signs outside the Australian Open tennis championship on Tuesday.
They had each been fined Australian $234 ($210; £130) for offensive behaviour, Victoria state police said."

(bbc, same link - my bold).

"Van Thanh Rudd (the prime minister's nephew) said Indians in Australia were two-and-a-half times more likely to be attacked than any other ethnic group and it was time for the government to condemn the attacks as racist.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) the protest was also meant to call attention to the plight of asylum seekers turned away from Australian shores.

Van Thanh Rudd is an artist whose work is categorised by bold, political statements.

A spokeswoman for the prime minister told ABC his nephew's protest was "a matter for the people involved"."

In some earlier posts about attacks on Indians in Australia, I have seen suggestions that perhaps the attacks were random violence and Indians shouldn't leap to conclusions about the motivations. In this case, the police indicate that "racist comments" were made during the attack. And Rudd indicates that Indians are particularly targeted more than other ethnic groups.