Victorian public transport incident
A man intimidating people on public transport while people appear to watch as it unfolds.
I can’t help but ask, when did we become so scared to stand up for each other?
As Australian’s it is our responsibility to look after one another, be nice to your neighbours, look out for the kids in your street and ensure the community you live in is a safe one. This does not mean you need to become a vigilante Batman stalking the streets at night, carrying weapons or inciting violence.
Violence shouldn’t be the first answer.
Standing up for somebody doesn’t mean throwing punches, launching yourself at the person. It could mean speaking up, moving someone away from danger, alerting the driver, calling police, standing beside someone who is being intimidated. Simply making it clear that the person causing trouble isn’t surrounded by passive spectators.
You can continue to blame immigration, blame the government and blame policing, sentencing, social media and culture. None of these remove our individual responsibility to the person standing beside us. The Government can’t legislate courage, police can’t stand in every train carriage. Community starts with the people actually in it.
Compare this to the citizens' arrest in a Woolworths supermarket.
Different circumstances, different risks, different people. But one enormous difference stands out. The community acted.
The situation escalated, and one by one more people jumped in to help. The alleged attacker was restrained by members of the public until police arrived. That is the Australia I recognise.
But Chocky, what if they have a weapon…
People are unpredictable, situations can turn violent in seconds. Nobody should recklessly put themselves or their family in danger trying to play Batman. But standing up doesn’t always mean throwing yourself into a fight. It means refusing to pretend you didn’t see it happening. Speak up, call for help, alert the driver, get other people involved, help the person being targeted and call 000 if someone is in immediate danger.
Often all it takes is one person making the decision that this isn’t happening while I'm standing here for other people to find their courage too.
A strong country isn’t built in Parliament House. It is built when ordinary Australians decide that the person standing beside them is worth standing up for.
