In a tweet on Friday, Barry O’Farrell, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, expressed shock at the vandalism of two temples.
“Like India, Australia is a proud, multicultural country. We have been shocked at the vandalism of two Hindu temples in Melbourne, & Australian authorities are investigating. Our strong support for freedom of expression does not include hate speech or violence,” O’Farrell said, tagging External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Earlier, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple in Melbourne’s Mill Park was vandalised with “anti-India graffiti” on 12 January.
The police told The Quint that “offenders graffitied a temple in Heaths Court in the early hours of the morning with what appears to be political and racial slogans.”
“We are thankful to the appropriate authorities, including the governments of Australia and India as well as local community organisations, for their continued support,” the statement added.
According to a report in Australia…