As anti-Asian rhetoric intensifies and One Nation rallies its supporters, the death of Melbourne grocer Van Viet Truong raises urgent questions about racism, political scapegoating and the society Australia is becoming.

This weekend’s rallies are a warning we cannot ignore

The death of Van Viet Truong in Melbourne is a profound tragedy. The 60-year-old grocer from Sunshine, died after intervening to help a neighbour being confronted by teenagers. Five youths aged 12 to 15 were initially charged, with charges against one subsequently withdrawn.

The public response has been predictable: rallies demanding tougher youth crime and bail laws. The media conversation focuses on juvenile justice, recidivism, and a supposedly failing system.

But we are looking in the wrong direction – and this weekend will prove it.

The atmosphere of hate

On 13 August, thousands of Australian students walked out of classrooms across the country to protest One Nation and its leader, Pauline Hanson. In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, they rallied against what the National Union of Students called her “racist politics”.

Hanson and her supporters will rally this weekend in turn – anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, anti-Asia in general. This is not speculation. Her National Press Club address called for a “monocultural” Australia. Her party’s primary vote has surged to 26 per cent, winning its first lower house seat in May.

The deeper question is not why five teenagers committed a violent act. Criminologists can answer that. The question is why our society has produced an environment where violence........

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