A woman Sikh candidate contesting federal election has been targeted with a highly offensive and racist anti-Sikh propaganda in Melbourne.
Alexandra Kaur Bhathal is a candidate from Greens party for the seat of Batman, Melbourne.
Hundreds of residents in her constituency in the north of Melbourne received flyers terming Sikhism as ‘violent, racist and homophobic’.
The anonymous printed material claims Ms Bhathal supports “Khalistan terrorist movement” to create a “racist” nation in Punjab.
Using a highly offensive language for the Sikhs, the flyer claims “male Sikhs carry daggers, using (them) for beheadings & genital mutilation.”
The flyers have a picture of Ms Bhathal speaking at a Sikh congregation in Melbourne marked as ‘Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day’ on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots anniversary last year.
The flyer reads she is "a militant Sikh extremist who falsely claims Indians did ‘genocide’ against Sikhs, infiltrated the Greens to promote her hidden race agenda and the militant Sikh separatists against India."
Alex Bhathal says she is “sickened” at the distribution of this “hateful” and “racist” material.
I am sickened and disturbed at this vicious and defamatory attack on Sikhs and Sikhism. I am a proud Sikh and this unfortunate hatred won’t sway me from my political commitment
“I am sickened and disturbed at this vicious and defamatory attack on Sikhs and Sikhism. I am a proud Sikh and this unfortunate hatred won’t sway me from my political commitment,” Ms Bhathal told SBS Punjabi.
“This an attempt to malign me politically, an attack on me using this as a vehicle.”
“There should be no place for such racism and hatred in any country of the world,” she added.
Ms Bhathal says she could not get any information about who distributed this material.
She says she is trying to get a complaint registered with the Australian Electoral Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
These flyers were first noticed on Monday morning by some Darebin residents in their mailboxes.
