SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) has strongly condemned the vile racist and religious vilification that Senator Sam Dastyari was recently subjected to while having a drink with a colleague in Victoria University’s student bar.
The group, later described by Dastyari as “the sickening face of white nationalists”, approached the Iran-born Federal Senator for New South Wales and began abusing him, with one man saying: “Why don’t you go back to Iran, you terrorist?”
“There can be no justification nor tolerance for such behaviour and abuse against fellow Australians due to their race or religion,” stated Vache Kahramanian, Managing Director of ANC-AU.
“Human history has sadly shown that when the wider community stays silent and does not stand against dehumanising ‘others’ due to their race or religion or other differences, the breeding ground for graver crimes is created.”
Kahramanian added: “Australia can rightfully be proud of its tradition of multiculturalism which embraces racial and religious diversity. The behaviour of these so-called ‘nationalists’, who were responsible for this reprehensible racial and religious abuse, is downright un-Australian.”
ANC-AU has added its voice to the condemnation of such, and all other, racial and religious vilification.
Photo: Sam Dastyari