People wearing masks walk on street in Sydney, Australia, on March 2, 2020. Australia's first person-to-person transmissions of COVID-19 were confirmed in the State of New South Wales (NSW) on Monday, with two people contracting the disease while on Australian soil. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
By Hu Yuwei
Consulate General of China in Melbourne strongly condemned acts of hatred, perpetrated against Chinese, and urged local police to protect the legitimate rights of its nationals after two Chinese students were the victims of a xenophobic attack related to COVID-19 on the streets of Melbourne.
Both victims are recovering and local police have nabbed the attackers.
On March 19, two Chinese students from the University of Tasmania in Melbourne, Australia, were physically assaulted, and hurled with racial slur related to novel coronavirus pandemic.
After the incident, the Consulate General of China in Melbourne immediately got in touch with the students to verify the incident and offer all needful assistance.
The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne has expressed its concern to the local police and the university, asking them to attach great importance to the safety of Chinese students and to protect legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Melbourne.
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, all sections of the Australian community have clearly expressed their opposition to any discrimination against Chinese people over the pandemic.
However, hate crimes of varying degrees against Chinese were reported in various parts of Australia.
The Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne in a statement strongly condemned such unwarranted assaults and urged the Chinese citizens in Australia to exercise caution.
Global Times
