The City of Casey’s mayor, Stefan Koomen, has condemned the extremist tones of the anti-immigration rallies on 31 August, as they sparked local backlash.
While the rally itself did not happen in Casey, Koomen “acknowledged the broader impact such events can have on our community, particularly in a city as proudly diverse as ours.”
“Casey is home to people from more than 150 cultural backgrounds, and 42 per cent of our residents were born overseas.
“Our community draws strength from this diversity, and we remain committed to ensuring Casey is a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all,” he said.
A Narre Warren South resident, who was in the CBD for a weekend shift, said that the atmosphere was “hostile”, adding that they felt it was more about “anger than sending a message or a solution”.
“Everyone was angry, and as a migrant myself, I could feel their [anti-immigration protestors] anger being directed at me, even though I was nowhere near them,” they said.
They said that avoiding the crowd was manageable, but the message of “unwelcomeness” had become clear, seeing as that after they had come home and stopped by a local shopping centre to do some shopping, they overheard someone telling them to “go back to your country”.
“I didn’t know if they were talking to me, but they said it a bunch of times, and when I looked, I saw them just pointing at my face,” they said.
“I wasn’t really offended, but the fact that that has never happened to me before, until the same day of the rally, near home, it really says something.”
For Koomen, he said that he, and Casey as a whole, “unequivocally reject racism, discrimination, and hate in all forms”.
“These have no place in our community and do not reflect who we are; every resident contributes to Casey’s identity and deserves to feel welcome and safe.
“We are proud to be a multicultural community and will continue to celebrate and protect it,” he said.
