As young Australians and Chinese dedicated to bringing about a more prosperous, sustainable, and peaceful world, we deplore and condemn the racist attack on two Chinese international students in Sydney last Monday. The mindless violence exhibited by a gang of teenage bullies is inimical to our vision of the future.
Our deepest sympathies go to those students who have been seriously injured in this attack. We fully share the outrage and anger of all Chinese caused by this attack.
We call on all thoughtful Chinese people to understand that this group of teenage bullies does not represent all Australians. Australia is country with an evolving ethnoscape – a process that inevitably brings tensions. In 2011, almost one third of Australians were born overseas, with nearly 10 per cent of Australians born in Asia. Half of all Australians’ have at least one parent born overseas. This is still a new reality for Australia to which some Australian’s are yet to become unaccustomed. Of course, this in no way absolves Australia of responsibility for the incident.
We therefore call on all Australians to reflect on this incident and the meaning it has for us as a society. When such events occur we are quick to dismiss them as ‘isolated’ and ‘not racially motivated’, but this is not the first violent attack on an international student in Australia in recent years, nor is it the second. Australia is a forward-looking, vibrant, multicultural country. However some sections of the Australian community strongly adhere to the old approach of assimilation or the even older approach of rejecting those who look different to them. We must overcome intolerance in ourselves and in our friends, family and fellow Australians.
澳中青年对话”往届代表就2012年4月23日发生在悉尼的种族主义袭击事件的宣言
澳中两国的年轻人正在为建设一个更加繁荣、和平和可持续的世界而努力，我们强烈谴责上周一发生在悉尼的两名中国留学生遭到种族主义袭击的事件。这种来自少年流氓的粗暴行为并不会影响我们对于未来的期待。
我们对在此次袭击事件中遭受重伤的学生表示深切的同情。跟所有中国人一样，我们对于此次袭击也深表愤慨。
我们希望深明大义的中国人能够认识到，这伙少年流氓并不能代表全部澳大利亚人。澳大利亚的人种格局正在经历一个转变过程，矛盾冲突在所难免。2011年，澳大利亚人几乎有1/3是生于国外的，其中将近10%生于亚洲。一半的澳大利亚人的父母至少有一方生于国外。这对于澳大利亚还是个全新的事实，有些澳大利亚人还没有适应这种变化。即便如此，澳大利亚在此次事件中也难辞其咎。
所以，我们呼吁澳大利亚人反思这次事件对于整个澳大利亚社会所带来的影响。每当这样的事情发生时，我们总是不假思索地弃之为“个案”，也“没有任何种族针对性”；但是，在澳留学生遇袭事件发生了已经不是一次两次了。澳大利亚是一个有远见、有活力的多元文化国度，但是，有些部门仍然因袭过时的“尚同”思维，甚至沿用更加腐朽的“斥异”做法。我们必须消除我们自身、朋友、家人乃至所有澳大利亚人心中的排外心理。