# Anti-Australian sentiment

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Anti-Australian sentiment (also known as Australophobia or Anti-Australianism) refers to animosity, criticism, or prejudice towards Australia, its culture, or Australians in general. Anti-Australian sentiment can arise from various factors including differences in religion, events outlined in the History of Australia, its domestic or foreign policies or its involvement in various conflicts such as World War 1 or World War 2.
The antonym for an Australophobe is an Australophile, which refers to the appreciation, love, or admiration for Australia.

## History

One of the earliest references to the specific phrase "Anti-Australian sentiment" occurred in 1983 in relation to anti-independence groups in New Caledonia.
The term "anti-Australian" also predates it by decades in that by 1949, people in parts of Africa and Asia were said to have "anti-Australian feeling" over how Australia applied its White Australia policy.

### East Timor

Anti-Australian sentiment grew within East Timor, during the period of the Timor Gap Treaty which was signed during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. the sentiment was further intensified by the political and economic issues between East Timor and Australia, particularly over oil and gas resources within the Timor Sea, which sparked major protests.

### Singapore

In 1948, there were anti-Australian sentiments in then-colonial Singapore by their citizens due to the treatment of one of their countrywomen.

### Indonesia

Indonesia has been alleged to have a rise in "anti-Australian sentiment" because of suggestions of Australia interfering in its internal affairs. A 2003 study on Indonesian aspirants for a diplomatic position reported that 95% of them had anti-Australian sentiment. The post-Suharto era period also saw anti-Australian sentiment in Indonesia over East Timor. In Indonesia, it is related to a generalised anti-Western sentiment.
The Australian intervention in East Timor still made the Indonesian government upset and led to it taking revenge on Australia by undermining the Australian interest in the country.
A 2012 public opinion poll conducted by the Lowy Institute, an Australian foreign relations think tank, found that Indonesians rated their views towards Indonesia as 62 degrees, on a scale between 0 and 100 degrees ranging from "very unfavourable" to "very warm". This polling also found that just under a third of Indonesians saw Australia as a potential threat to their country.

#### 2002 Bali bombings

The 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and injured at least a further 75 Australians, were in direct retaliation for Australia's role in the liberation of Timor-Leste and United States' support of the war on terror.

#### Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta

On 9 September 2004, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta was bombed, killing 10 people and injuring 200 others. The perpetrators Jemaah Islamiyah, an organisation which has also claimed responsibility for multiple other attacks against Australians including the 2002 Bali bombings, carried out the attack because of their hatred towards Australians living in Indonesia and the Australian government's deployment of troops in the Iraq War. An Islamist web site, www.islamic-minbar.com, posted a statement by Jemaah Islamiyah saying:
   We decided to settle accounts with Australia, one of the worst enemies of God and Islam, ... and a Mujahadeen brother succeeded in carrying out a martyr operation with a car bomb against the Australian embassy...
   It is the first of a series of attacks. ... We advise Australians in Indonesia to leave this country or else we will transform it into a cemetery for them.
   We advise the Australian government to withdraw its troops from Iraq. If our demand is not satisfied, we will deal them many painful blows. The lines of booby-trapped cars will have no end.
   Our jihad (holy war) will continue until the liberation of the land of Muslims.
   Jemaah Islamiah in eastern Asia – department of information – Indonesia.

#### Espionage allegations

In October 2013, Indonesians protested the Australian Signals Directorate's alleged 2009 attempt to monitor the phone calls of senior Indonesian officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhiyono and his wife Ani Yudhoyono, this included burnings of the flag of Australia. Protests intensified as Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to apologise, leading to further anti-Australia rhetoric. Indonesia froze ties with Australia as a result and recalled the Indonesian ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema to Jakarta between November 2013 and May 2014.

### Turkey

After the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019 (which were carried out by an Australian), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that if Australians and New Zealanders with anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish views try to enter Turkey, they will be "sent back home in coffins like their grandfathers", referring to the Australian Landings on Gallipoli against Turkish Forces in World War I. Many Australians and New Zealanders were highly offended by these comments and accused Erdoğan of anti-Australianism. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described these comments as "appalling" and "highly insensitive".