AA / Ankara / Islam Uddin
The Australian authorities opened an investigation after the display of racist and Islamophobic banners on road bridges in Melbourne, the day of the federal elections, reports the Australian television channel SBS News.
Victoria state police confirmed the opening of the investigation.
Groups dressed in black and masked have been seen on several walkways of the monash motorway in Melbourne, holding banners with slogans such as: “no black vote should count”, “no Muslim vote should count” and “only Australian votes should count”.
The banners have aroused lively indignation across the country. Muslim Australians have described the disruption and harmful incident for young members of the community.
“Imagine a small Asian or Muslim child at the back of a car, making a family trip on a Saturday morning, and seeing such racism,” said a Muslim resident with the SBS News channel.
Millions of Australians went to the polls on Saturday to elect the 150 members of the House of Representatives during a crucial federal ballot.
In a statement, the spokesperson for the Muslim Votes Matter movement Ghaith Krayem praised the commitment of the Muslim community during the campaign.
He stressed that the latter had shown that she could “organize independently and contribute to the national political debate”.
“No matter the final result of the ballot, community achievements during this election are obvious,” he added. “We have raised, strengthened civic knowledge and encouraged many first-time voters to participate.”
Muslim Votes Matter works for a United Australian society, where Muslims’ political commitment strengthens national unity and guides policies based on values.
*Translated from English by Sanaa Amir
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