MELBOURNE: A Hindu temple was defaced with racist graffiti along with two Asian-run restaurants in Melbourne, raising concerns among the community members in Australia, a media report said on Thursday.
Shree Swaminarayan Temple on Wadhurst Drive, Melbourne's eastern suburb of Boronia, was defaced with red-painted racist slurs on Monday morning, the Australia Today web portal reported.
Two restaurants located further on Boronia Road were painted with the same slurs on the same day, it added.
Victoria Police confirmed the incident, saying that “There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based and racist behaviour”, the report said.
Shocked with the incident, President of the Hindu Council of Australia, Victoria chapter, Makrand Bhagwat, said it "feels like an attack on our identity, our right to worship and freedom of religion," the web portal reported.
Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan, in a private message to temple management, called the attack "hateful" and "racist", the report said.
“What happened this week was hateful, racist and deeply disturbing. It wasn't just vandalism – it was a deliberate act of hate, designed to intimidate, isolate, and spread fear," the report quoted from Jacinta's message.
Meanwhile, the Hindu Community urged support from interfaith groups following the incident.
The attack hints at the worrying rise in targeted hate incidents across Melbourne, the report said.