Police in Australia have charged a 31-year-old woman for assaulting two Muslim women at a shopping centre in Melbourne last week amid a wave of hate crimes.
The suspect allegedly attacked a 30-year-old pregnant woman, before assaulting another Muslim woman, aged 26, at the Pacific Epping shopping centre, the police said.
The suspect, a resident of the Pascoe Vale suburb, is due in court on Wednesday for targeting the two women because of their head coverings, a police spokesperson told Australian media.
The woman was arrested on Wednesday and charged with intentionally and recklessly causing injury, unlawful assault and aggravated assault.
One of the victims, a mother-of-two, alleged that she was grocery shopping when the suspect slapped and shoved her to the ground. The survivor was rushed to the hospital with bruises across her body.
"This lady, like out of nowhere, just came and like it was a punch, smack, something like that, right across my left side," she told 9News.
"I'm an Australian citizen, I was born here. Getting attacked in your own country is a bit wild."
Another victim said she was grabbed from behind and choked with her hijab in front of her four-year-old daughter while she was eating lunch.
A Victoria police spokesperson in a statement said: "There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated."
Melbourne police said they were also investigating reports of online threats against one of the survivors.
The targeted attack comes just days after Australia passed tough laws against hate crimes to curtail a wave of antisemitic attacks.
The Australian government was criticised by its Muslim citizens, including international cricketer Usman Khawaja, for allegedly not taking Islamophobic attacks as seriously compared to antisemitic attacks. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident as "reprehensible" and rejected criticism.
"I take all attacks on people on the basis of their faith seriously, and they should all face the full force of the law," he said on Wednesday.
“We’ve appointed a special envoy on Islamophobia. That’s an important step forward. And I’m someone who celebrates our diversity and who respects people, regardless of their faith," he said.
