“I hate Indians…” – was sprayed over her family home fence
Alexis Dennis, an Indian Australian who came to Australia in 2008 as six years old with her family has opened up on her experiencing extreme hate and racism while growing up in Australia.
After her treatment at the hands of fellow Australians, Alexis in a TikTok video has claimed Australia to be an ‘extremely racist country’; she believes she was subjected to a raft of cruel remarks and acts because of the colour of her skin.
With 20,000 social media followers, Alexis posted two TikTok videos about nemerous experiences of racism in Australia, including having her family home’s back fence spattered with anti-Indian racist graffiti.
A photo of her family’s home fence shows ‘I hate Indina’s [sic]’ scrawled over it.
Alexis speculates that someone had heard her Indian father’s heavy accented voice on the phone and made her family’s connection to India which would have led to the offensive message on the fence. The graffiti has since been painted over by the council.
Alexis Dennis said her experience with racism in Australia started at school.
‘Someone in the class asked me why my skin was so dirty,’ she said.
‘I went home and cried my eyes out. I thought people actually thought that I was dirty.’
She added: ‘The boy who was known to be the class clown made a song up about me singing it with a comedic Indian accent, singing with my name, singing about how I carry around a pot of curry, I worship cows, I this, I that.’
‘I realised that people didn’t like me because I’m Indian and I am different to them,’ Ms Dennis said.
‘This was a really hard realisation for me.’
Such were her experiences, Alexis Dennis said that sub-consciously she became a ‘self-hating Indian’.
‘I liked to put myself down before other people could put me down,’ she said.
Ms Dennis said that she experienced a ‘lot more racism’ after she started dating.
‘Every time guys would ask me where I was from I would avoid the question like the plague,’ she said.
Ms Dennis said if she told potential suitors she was Indian there would be two replies: ‘Nah. you’re too hot to be Indian’ or ‘Oh yeah, I could tell you’re Indian’ but then they would insult her.
‘I’ve had guys tell me, “You are really pretty but I probably wouldn’t date you because I just can’t stand Indians”,’ she said.
‘The majority of men in my life I am talking even friends, not just guys that I’ve been with, bag on my country, bag on the food from my country, the clothes from my country, the traditions from my country.
‘They really like to stick to the stereotypes, so dating is pretty hard when you live in a western country as a race people tend not to like.’
In a second TikTok, Alexis said she had received a lot of ‘vicious’ comments from her previous observations and gave a ‘disclaimer’.
‘I am extremely grateful to live in Australia but I am still allowed to talk about my negative experiences that I’ve had in this country,’ she said.
Alexis said she often felt very ‘insecure’ and ‘very out of place’ in Australia.
‘I generally by default believe people will not like me just because I am Indian,’ she said.
Social media users were quick to share their own experiences – revealing they had similar encounters in their lives.
Racism is so disgusting especially in Australia. I’m so sorry you have had a negative experience and I hope this changes. You are so beautiful ❤️
How do the teachers sit there and say nothing
I genuinely think Indians has one of the most beautiful cultures on earth
As a black African living in Australia , I do relate. The backhanded comments, the jabs and the masked racism. It hurts
coming from a mixed aboriginal woman, this is so real. And I’m so sorry❤️
oh girl this one hit home for me, i had such a similar experience during school & now i get called whitewashed from having internalized racism for so long ☹️you’re absolutely stunning & so strong 🤍
So relatable and it doesn’t get better with time either… 20 years here and the racism is ongoing 😢
And those comments hurt HARD when we’re children. Kids have NO filter at all. We take that stuff with us through to adulthood and it becomes baggage. So very sorry you went through this.
Sadly so true 😭 I’m half Bangladeshi but have very light skin so people are shocked when I say my ethnicity- I’m then immediately treated differently. So sorry to hear what you’ve been thru