– Australian general
CANBERRA, (Reuters) – Australia’s former military chief has characterised recent attacks on Indian students as racially motivated, rejecting Canberra’s official line that the violence has been purely criminal rather than racist.
The attacks over the past 18 months, including a fatal stabbing of a 21-year-old Indian graduate this month, have strained ties with India and hurt Australia’s lucrative foreign student market, its third largest export earner.
“If you didn’t suspect a racial strand you’d be mad,” high-profile former general Peter Cosgrove told The Age newspaper last night after delivering a speech on race relations.
