Overview
- Kobie Thatcher posted a video from Nirimba Fields in Sydney showing homes lit for Diwali and wrote that the West must preserve its culture before it loses it.
- Her post on X went viral and drew sharp criticism from users who accused her of intolerance and cultural insensitivity.
- Thatcher doubled down in replies, telling one critic, "They can celebrate it as much as they want in India."
- In a separate post, she rejected calls to make Diwali a public holiday, writing, "This is Australia, not India."
- Many commenters defended Indian Australians as law-abiding contributors who celebrate Australian traditions too, reframing the exchange as a discussion of multiculturalism.