The wheels on the bus go round and round:

Today, an iPhone video of an alleged incident on a Melbourne bus earlier this month was released by a fellow passenger on the bus.

It is repugnant and repulsive. 

It shows one man vilifying a woman, believed to be French, on the basis of her race and language. Another man - with a baby in a pram - apparently threatens to cut the woman with a knife. 

According to witness reports, the incident began when the woman started singing a song in French. This prompted another woman passenger to chant 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie' in response. The French woman continued to sing, which then drew a tirade of abuse from one male passenger and then leading to man with the pram to invite the French woman 'outside'. What a man. The window adjacent to where the French woman was sitting was smashed by an unknown person.

Another passenger, Mike Nayna, caught the episode on his iPhone and posted it to You Tube.

The video has made headlines around the world.

Victoria Police have asked anyone who identifies either of the men to contact them on 1800 333 000.

There were many other people on the bus, most of whom did nothing. Nayna took his video; another young man attempted to defend the woman. Nayna said it was probably appropriate for people not to intervene as it may have inflamed the situation even more.

While many of us feel ashamed and embarrassed about the incident, the fact is there may be as many people who don't. 

It puts a dent in our international image, and our self-portrait as a 'multicultural nation', but how many of us really care?

Early this afternoon, Motherpedia asked the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Senator Kate Lundy to comment on the incident. Specifically, the Minister was asked:

• How does she feel about it?
• Would she like to see action taken against the alleged perpetrators?
• What can 'ordinary' people do?
• What can, and is, the Government doing to deal with situations like this?

We waited until Wednesday evening before publishing this article so we could include comments from the Minister. Eight hours after we asked, we await the Minister's response.