Melbourne, July 13: Tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of Indians, on Sunday joined a ‘harmony walk’ here.

The walk is aimed at reaffirming the Victorian government’s support for multiculturalism and sending a strong message that Australia is a safe destination for international students.

The march was part of the steps taken by the Victorian government after a spate of racial attacks against Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney caught serious media attention.

The Federation of Indian Students Association, which had threatened to boycott the rally, asked its members to present in the rally but only as “observers.”

“We were there as observers not as participants,” FISA spokesperson Gautum Gupta said.

“It is unfortunate that the government is trying to exclude students from any meaningful discussion. We support multiculturalism, but we do not support politicians trying to divert attention and debate away from the victims, the unsafe streets, the rising crime rate and the failure of the justice system,” FISA president Amit Menghani said. — PTI