Byron Bay student Dakota Wyatt abused for looking ‘metro’

A university student says he had just finished a shift at work when someone yelled “go back to Sydney you metro f**k” from the window of a passing car.

A New Brighton man says he was surprised after copping a spray for looking “metro” after finishing a shift at work in Byron Bay.

Dakota Wyatt, 25, said he the abuse came while he was waiting to pick up some food after finishing work about 10pm Sunday.

“I was waiting for my food and that’s when this car slowed right down and they went up onto the path and this guy in the passenger’s seat yelled out ‘go back to Sydney you metro f*ck’,” he said.

He said he had a colourful shirt on because that was a theme at his work on Sundays.

“I was actually wearing a shirt that my nan gave me,” he said.

“I guess they didn’t like it.

“They were looking directly at me, there was no doubt who they were talking to.”

Mr Wyatt said he had never heard the word metro used as a derogatory term before.

The word can be used about someone who lives on a metropolitan centre, like Sydney.

A metro or metrosexual is also a male that cares about his appearance and hygiene but is a heterosexual, according to urbandictionary.com.

Mr Wyatt said the car had a number of male passengers of different ages.

“At first I laughed because I thought it was a joke, but it wasn’t, because they looked quite serious,” he said.

“I have done work in all different kind of situations, I’m OK with dealing with confrontation, but it still affects you.

“I’m OK about it, but I asked my boss if I can only have daytime shifts for a while.”

The law student said he recently came back to the area from Victoria.

Originally from Queensland, Mr Wyatt lived in the Northern Rivers until 2016, when he moved to Melbourne.

“When I was living here five years ago it was very chill, and now obviously the pandemic must have increased hostility and lack of acceptance of outsiders,” he said.

“At the end of the day, people who have lived here for two, five, 10 (years) or all their lives have a right to live in peace and nobody owns the area.”