Australia’s national broadcaster has been accused of hypocrisy for promoting “brown run clubs” for South Asian people while regularly demonising White Aussies who take part in similar activities.
In a video report posted on the taxpayer-funded ABC’s social media accounts on Wednesday, journalist Angelica Silva said that the run clubs were “on the rise across Australia” and that their goal was to help people of Indian subcontinental background “find a sense of community and promote a sense of belonging”.
The story featured interviews with members of Melbourne’s Melanin Run Club, with one man complaining he “grew up surrounded by people not from my ethnicity” and another woman saying “dealing with people the same as us [makes us] feel more comfortable”.
One regular who said he’d been a member of other run clubs said it was “nice to have one that is, I guess, closer to you”.
“It’s more about creating a space that everyone feels like they inherently belong,” he said, while founder Simran Nandan declared “it’s just a space where we can come and feel safe and connected and proud”.
But many Australians asked whether the ABC would take the same approach if the run clubs were for White Australians only, and said the phenomenon showed that it was not possible for immigrants to assimilate into Australian society.
Can someone tell me why the @abcnews is promoting segregated Indian run clubs in Australia??
If this is being promoted, does that mean whites can half their own segregated communities too?? pic.twitter.com/y5DTWyCTBO
— What’s News!? (@Whats_Newsss) August 13, 2025
“Can someone tell me why the ABC is promoting segregated Indian run clubs in Australia? If this is being promoted, does that mean Whites can have their own segregated communities too?” asked independent journalist Laurence McIntyre on X with a video reacting to the news clip.
“This is the problem. Instead of the trying to be part of the broader Australian community, they segregate themselves and make enclaves. This is a big reason why so many need to go home,” read a comment on his post.
“It’s not assimilation into Australia. It’s diaspora communities creating their own ‘home’ countries. Apartheid. If they want Indian communities they should have stayed living in India,” said another.
“Would the ABC give a positive fluffpiece like this for a Whites-only run club?” asked The National Observer Editor John Lawson.
“When White people get together it’s racism and a hate crime. When non-White people get together you get a feel good reel on the state broadcaster,” said another X user.
The ABC story comes in contrast to a recent article criticising “active clubs” – groups of right-wing White men who exercise together – which it called a “threat to social cohesion”.
Header image: Left, journalist Angelica Silva. Right, one of the “brown run club” participants (Instagram).
