On Friday, the authorities in Australia ordered the cancellation of a pro-Khalistan event in Sydney’s Blacktown City after they received hundreds of complaints about threats by Sikhs For Justice’s propaganda event. The scheduled propaganda referendum event by SFJ in Sydney was intended to take place at the Blacktown Leisure Centre Stanhope but was called off due to complaints over risks to staff, members of the public, and council assets. Australian Hindu Association had approached the Blacktown Council complaining against the proposed Khalistani event.
“Council has, this morning, cancelled this booking as it is in conflict with adopted Council policy and due to risks to Council staff, Council assets and members of the public which cannot be practicably mitigated,” Blacktown City Council Spokesperson was quoted as saying to The Australia Today.
#BREAKING | Big win against Khalistan in Australia, Khalistan Referendum event cancelled#Australia #Sydney #BlacktownCity
— Republic (@republic) May 12, 2023
Tune in here – https://t.co/JBOJSkzT7L pic.twitter.com/gZJybB1JUY
“Council’s decision is in no way an endorsement of, or criticism of, any political position relating to the internal affairs of India or Pakistan and must not be represented as support for any particular political position,” he added.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the New South Wales Police, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) reportedly assisted with the decision to revoke authorization for the pro-Khalistan propaganda event.
According to the reports, the probe into the Victoria-registered “Sikhs For Justice Pvt Ltd” is ongoing and the agencies are also investigating into a connection to an unaccounted for money trail. The citizens complained that the terrorists were being praised in the city by erecting posters and banners of the Sikhs For Justice propaganda event.
The authorities took cognizance of the event and also ordered the removal of all the posters and banners by the Sikh for Justice. “We are removing the banners and posters around the City placed on public property as these have been erected without our approval,” the official stated.
Following the cancellation of the event by the city council, the Australian Hindu Association tweeted about it, saying that offensive posters of Bhindranwale, which were illegally installed on public places, are being removed. They said that the organisers did not disclose the nature of the event to the council.
@blacktowncc respond's to Australian Hindu Association's complaint about the planned Sydney 'Khalistan Referendum' & offensive posters of terrorist – Bhindranwale illegally installed on public spaces. Posters being removed. Organisers did not disclose nature of event to council. pic.twitter.com/nh0hmGWXyz
— Australian Hindu Media (@austhindu) May 9, 2023
AHA also posted the text of the email received from Blacktown City Council in response to their email complaining about the event. It states, “We note that the nature of the event was not declared on the booking form when submitted to Council. We have commenced removing banners and posters from Council’s assets on public land as they have been erected without Council’s consent.”
They further informed that the matter has been referred to the police.
Khalistan Referendum planned for Blacktown Leisure Centre on 4 June cancelled by @blacktowncc. This is after attempts in @cityofsydney & @parracity were unsuccessful. Zero tolerance for terror apologists in NSW so far. There had been mass outcries by residents against event. pic.twitter.com/nrrYVYNpzy
— Australian Hindu Media (@austhindu) May 12, 2023
AHA further said that the Khalistan Referendum planned for Blacktown Leisure Centre on 4 June has been cancelled after similar attempts were unsuccessful in Sydney and Parramatta cities. They posted an email from the city council informing them about the cancellation of the booking for the event.
List of Hindu temples attacked in Australia by the pro-Khalistani elements
Australia reaffirmed that it will take all necessary steps to stop perpetrators from damaging Hindu temples there. It also reaffirmed its respect for India’s sovereign boundaries and rejection of any sort of referendums against it. Notably, pro-Khalistan and anti-India graffiti has been daubed on many Hindu temples in Australia over the past few months; the most recent incidence was recorded on May 5 in Sydney.
On May 5, the Khalistani supporters attacked a Hindu temple in Western Sydney’s Rosehill suburb of Australia. The supporters vandalized the BAPS Swaminarayan temple and wrote “Declare Modi Terrorist (BBC)” on the walls of the temple. Meanwhile, a Khalistan flag could also be seen hanging on the gate of the said temple.
Earlier on January 17, the supporter had attacked the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs and had written ‘Target Modi’, ‘Modi Hitler’, and ‘Hindustan Murdabad’ on the walls next to the temple. Reportedly, Australia has seen four separate anti-Hindu attacks on Temples initiated by pro-Khalistani elements living in the country in the last 4-5 months.
On March 4, Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane’s Burbank suburb was vandalised with anti-Hindu and anti-India graffiti defacing its walls. According to local media reports, the vandalism was carried out by pro-Khalistani supporters. The miscreants wrote anti-Hindu, anti-India and pro-Khalistani slogans on the walls near the temple during the vandalization.
On February 16 a Kali Mata temple received a warning against holding a Bhajan program. A woman priest of a Kali Mata temple in the northern suburbs of Melbourne in Australia received threats from Khalistani terrorists for organizing a Bhajan program of Indian singer Kanhiya Mittal.
On January 23 a similar attack by Khalistani elements took place at the Hare Krishna Temple located at Albert Park in Melbourne city of Australia. The temple served as the centre of the Bhakti Yoga movement in Melbourne and is run by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). As per reports, temple walls were defaced with anti-India slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ and ‘Hindustan Murdabad.’ The miscreants had also hailed slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a martyr.
On January 12, the Hindu community living in Melbourne woke up to a shock as the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, located in the northern suburb of Mill Park, Melbourne, was vandalised by Khalistani attackers. The walls of the temple were defaced by spray painting anti-India and anti-Narendra Modi slogans.
Australia says it continues to respect and stand by India’s sovereignty
In an interview with ANI earlier this week, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrell, stated, “Prime Minister Albanese committed to ensuring that our security forces, including our police, state police forces, take every possible action when the vandalism occurred to track down those responsible and to prosecute them.”
Farrell also made reference to the call for Khalistan to become a separate country as well as pertinent graffiti on the walls of the temple, saying, “The point I make on perhaps the broader issue is that, as my Foreign Minister said when she was here in March, unofficial referendum has no legal standing in Australia and Australia continues to respect and stand by India’s sovereignty and its sovereign borders.”
Notably, PM Modi had taken cognizance of the event and had raised the issue in front of Australian PM Anthony Albanese, who was on a visit to India on March 10. He had said that the Indian community was worried about the attacks. PM Albanese then assured that the safety of the Indian community would be a priority for him.
