Overview

• Victoria Police are treating four vandalism incidents in Boronia as linked hate crimes, with no arrests announced as of July 25.
• On July 21, red paint was used to scrawl slurs including “Go Home Brown C**t” on the Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kingsland Chinese Restaurant, Charles King Dumpling and a healing centre on Mountain Highway.
• Makrand Bhagwat said the desecration felt like an assault on identity, religious freedom and the right to worship for Melbourne’s Hindu community.
• Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the defacements as deliberate acts of hate designed to intimidate and spread fear among minority communities.
• Community members, interfaith groups and state leaders have rallied behind the temple and local businesses, urging authorities to bolster protections against race-motivated crimes.