Nearly 40 men descended on Wigram street at Harris Park at around 10 pm on Friday after a reported call-out for a street fight between leaders of two groups on the video-sharing platform TikTok.
An eye witness who wishes to remain anonymous told SBS Punjabi that the fight that looked like a “show of strength” which soon spilled on the road stalling traffic, as the members of the two groups charged at each other and started exchanging blows.
“The scene was terrifying as members of the mob started running across the road as soon as they realised that the police had arrived. We could hear people screaming and shouting, people using foul language and hitting each other. We saw at least one of them falling on the road before we left the scene,” said the eyewitness who was in the area when the incident occurred.
Highlights:
- Police and riot squad were brought in to break a massive street brawl in western Sydney
- A 33-year-old Indian-origin man sustained head injuries in the incident
- NSW Police is investigating if the incident was racially-motivated
While various theories are doing the rounds on the internet as to what lead to the fight, it is believed that it all started with videos and a chain of hostile comments on TikTok that were reportedly exchanged between groups of men from Punjab and Haryana, two neighbouring states in north India.
But the virtual clash turned into an in-person brawl when some of them challenged each other to assemble at Harris Park on August 28.
'NSW Government condemns violence in any form'
Geoff Lee, the Acting Minister for Multiculturalism said in a statement to SBS Punjabi that he has directed his agency Multicultural NSW to convene a video conference with the community leaders to address the issue.
"I will remind the community at this forum that the NSW Government condemns violence in any form and promotes social cohesion in our society for the benefit of all people of NSW.
"We must not forget that NSW is proudly the most multicultural state in our country, and our diversity is one of our greatest social assets," said Minister Lee.
The NSW police said that they were called to Wigram Street at around 10.10 pm, following reports of a large group of men fighting were brought to their attention.
The fight, between two groups, is believed to have been arranged on social media. Source: Rahulkamboj52/TikTok
“Upon arrival, officers attached to Parramatta Police Area Command, assisted by Cumberland Police Area Command and the Operations Support Group, dispersed the group.
“A 33-year-old man sustained minor injuries after he was punched and knocked to the ground. He is currently assisting the police with inquiries. No other injuries were reported,” the police said in a statement to the media.
Videos released on social media platforms also show some members of a group chanting slogans in support of Khalistan, a separate homeland demanded by a section of the Sikh community.
Other video clips also show rival groups chanting in support of Haryana and slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and 'Vande Mataram'.
'Newly arrived international students should be schooled on Australian values'
Concerned over the law and order situation in the area following the brawl, Gurmeet Tulli, the president of the Little India Australia precinct at Harris Park met with the Parramatta police representatives, along with some of the other business leaders from the circle.
He said the Indian government’s representatives in Australia must step-up and take responsibility for the behaviour, most of whom he claimed have been identified by the police.
“The Indian High Commission must step-up and monitor the behaviour of these people, a majority of whom were international students. We believe there has to be a pre-flight strategic awareness plan for any student who is coming to study here in Australia outlining the Australian laws and values, so that the new arrivals know how they need to behave and what it takes to integrate into the Australian community,” said Mr Tulli.
SBS Punjabi has reached out to the Indian High Commission in Canberra for comment.
Indian community representatives condemn the incident:
Snapshot of the video when the police car arrived at the scene. Source: TikTok
Calling the incident “disgraceful”, Bawa Singh Jagdev, the secretary of the National Sikh Council of Australia said, “respectful Indians would have to pay for the mayhem that was created by a handful of unschooled youth.”
“I have never seen such rowdy behaviour by Indians in Sydney ever since I migrated to this country in 1975. I am told that it was motivated by, or in reaction to some religious issues in India. If so, people involved in the scuffle had a misguided understanding of the cause, they were ill-informed, instigated and their hooliganism was out of place here in Sydney,” said Mr Jagdev.
He said the group should instead go back and settle their differences in India.
“They should rather go back to India and settle their differences there and not in this peaceful and peace-loving country,” he added.
Sydney-based entrepreneur Gurnam Singh, who runs Australian Indian Sports Educational and Cultural Society (AISECS) said the instigators must be identified and charged under the Australian law to send a strong message that such behaviour will not be tolerated in Australia.
International students (Representational image.) Source: Getty Images
“This should not have happened in the first place, and now the police need to set an example by taking strict action against the handlers to ensure this isn’t repeated in the future,” he said.
Mr Singh who himself came to Australia as a student in 2007 said the groups responsible for the violence must understand that such incidents can have serious repercussions not just for those involved, but the entire student community from India.
“I have been inundated with calls from concerned students who fear that this can somehow affect their future and perhaps the way they are looked upon in Australia. It sadly took me back to 2008 when a series of violent incidents took place involving Indian students in Australia. We have come a long way from there, and that is how we’d like to remain in times to come,” he added.
NSW Police is now investigating if the incident was racially-motivated and is conducting high-visibility proactive patrols of the area and appealing for anyone with information, or who was in the area at the time, to come forward.
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