The Victorian Greens have condemned the vile Islamophobic attack on the Warragul Mosque and warned that racist and far-right hate is becoming increasingly emboldened across Victoria.
CCTV captured a man deliberately throwing bacon and ham around the entrance and signage of the mosque on Wednesday, just days after inflammatory social media posts about the mosque attracted comments encouraging people to target the site with pork products.
The attack follows other recent incidents targeting Victoria's Muslim community, and the Greens say that political leaders cannot keep treating racist and religiously motivated attacks as isolated - warning that incidents targeting Muslim, migrant and multicultural communities are being increasingly normalised online and in public debate.
As stated by Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
"This was a vile, deliberate act of Islamophobic hate designed to intimidate Muslim Victorians simply for practising their faith.
"It is no coincidence that at a time when parties like One Nation are being given a massive megaphone, Muslims and multicultural communities are being targeted.
"Every political leader has the responsibility to do everything in their power to loudly call out the escalation in these vile, racist attacks and do everything in their power to fight back against the far-right extremism that's fuelling it.
"The Greens stand unequivocally with the Warragul Mosque and Muslim communities across Victoria. There can be absolutely no tolerance for Islamophobia, or any kind of racism in Victoria."
As stated by the Victorian Greens spokesperson for Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism, Anasina Gray Barberio:
"Our Muslim communities should not have to become 'used to' or expected to be 'resilient' every time they are targeted by racism. Nobody should have to wonder whether their mosque, their women and children will be the next target.
"The Muslim community is our community, and the overwhelming solidarity shown to the Warragul Muslim community is a much better reflection of who we are than the pathetic actions of racists trying to spread hate and division.
"We are seeing an increasingly toxic political environment where racism and white supremacy is being legitimised by the likes of One Nation and people who trade in hate feel emboldened to take that hatred into the real world. The people responsible for this disgusting attack wanted to make the Muslim community in Warragul feel unwelcome. They have failed."
