Queensland state MP for Bonney Sam O'Connor highlighted the graffiti on social media, describing it as racist and deploring the act of vandalism.
“In a local park and along with a few houses, on the bus stop and on streets, we had swastikas and anarchy symbols, derogatory terms about Pakistani people, some male genitalia drawn on a slide.”
Speaking to SBS Urdu, O'Connor said it is disgusting to see such an incident in one of the most culturally diverse parts of the Gold Coast.
“For the vast majority of the community, it [multiculturalism] is something we are really proud of, so to see these images, particularly the fact that they were graffiti-ed on Australia Day was absolutely disgusting. I couldn’t believe it.
“It wasn’t just done by some bored teenagers. It was someone who really was annoyed with migrants and had some racists thoughts that they wanted to spray illegally on a local park.”
Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Donna Gates says that there is a need for more policing in the northern Gold Coast areas.
“We are a multicultural community. One-in-four people who live in the Gold Coast was born overseas and none of us accepts that type of behaviour or graffiti.
It is absolutely disgraceful. We don’t want to see it [graffiti] in our city.
“We just need to see more police on the ground, officers patrolling the area and taking action against these people who are committing crimes in our region."
There have been other incidents of offensive graffiti in Gold Coast involving a local mosque and a school.
Source: Facebook/SamOConnor
Members of the local Pakistani community who were slurred in the graffiti have condemned the act but say such incidents do not affect their commitment to Australia.
“These are isolated events that occur occasionally but the community now does not react to them,” says Nabeel Durrani, who runs a social media group designed to assist Pakistanis in becoming a part of the Gold Coast community.
“We have noticed that there are times when someone from overseas who is not able to adapt to local culture or language. There are few people who react negatively or with racist intent to them."
Durrani says overall the Gold Coast is safe and his community is happy being part of the city.
Source: Facebook/SamOConnor
“A majority of Australians appreciate multiculturalism. They like Pakistani culture, our food and even participate in our cultural events.
“The Pakistani community in Gold Coast include highly-skilled professionals such as doctors and engineers. There is also a vast majority of students from Pakistan who study at Griffith University and other institutions.”
Deputy Mayor Gates says the city has a zero-tolerance approach to graffiti and continues to see a reduction in graffiti across the city.
Source: Facebook/SamOConnor
“This is due to a range of programs aimed at preventing graffiti - such as rapid removal, design of our public spaces to reduce opportunities for vandalism, working with retailers of paint products and working with police and other government agencies on education and crime prevention."
The graffiti has now been removed by the local council.
