New Delhi: Australia won’t tolerate any extreme actions and attacks that took place in religious buildings, and there is no place for such action against Hindu temples, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said while addressing a press conference in New Delhi, an official statement said today.
Responding to a media query about the assurances that the Australian PM gave to his Indian counterpart, Albanese said, “I gave him the assurance that Australia is a country that respects people’s faith. That we don’t tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we’ve seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches. This has no place in Australia.”
This has no place in Australia and we will take every action through our Police and also our security agencies to make sure that anyone responsible for this faces the full force of the law. We’re a tolerant multicultural nation, and there is no place in Australia for this… https://t.co/iPGcJWOnIt
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2023
“And we will take every action through our police and also our security agencies to make sure that anyone responsible for this faces the full force of the law. We’re a tolerant multicultural nation, and there is no place in Australia for this activity,” the statement quoted him saying.
Earlier, India-Australia: Exchange of Agreements and Press Statements on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Australian PM, in light of the recent attacks on temples in Australia, has assured that the safety and well-being of the Indian community in Australia is a priority for him.
“Since the last few weeks, news of attacks on temples in Australia are coming regularly. It is natural that such news worries people in India. I have raised these concerns with Prime Minister Albanese who has assured me that the safety of the Indian community is a special priority for him,” PM Modi said.
Three Hindu temples in Melbourne have been targeted in recent months, with supporters of a Sikh separatist movement allegedly scrawling racial messages.
Friday’s press conference came after the two leaders wrapped up their bilateral talks in what was Albanese’s first trip to India since taking office last May.
(With inputs from agencies)