Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said people in Melbourne are afraid to go out to restaurants at night because of #AfricanGangs.
This has put African communities in Australia on the receiving end of racist comments and bullying after media reports of gang violence.
As a response, the African community used the hashtag #AfricanGangs to show how educated and diverse Australia’s African communities are.
Al Jazeera's Leah Harding reports.