Dymocks Melbourne staff abused by customers over mandatory vaccine check-in

Three Dymocks workers have been attacked by customers furious at the state’s vaccination rules, in a troubling trend that’s erupting across the state.

Footage taken from a Dymocks store in Melbourne’s CBD has shown the terrifying moment a staff member was pushed down a moving escalator after he asked a customer to produce his vaccination certificate.

Video obtained by A Current Affair showed a man in a rainbow hoodie pushing the worker down the escalator before leaving the store on the ascending escalators.

The attack left the Dymocks worker unconscious and requiring treatment for a mild concussion, the store’s owner, Dino Traverso told The Age.

The man in the rainbow hoodie walked down the escalator after allegedly pushing the Dymocks worker. Picture: 9 News/ A Current Affair.

Mr Traverso also said his employee could have died, had his head hit the sharp escalator step.

“He was quite unconscious. You could see he was out cold. He couldn’t remember anything other than being shoved aside,” he said.

The incident was only one of three attacks experienced by Dymocks retail staff who were performing Covid check-ins. One female worker was slapped by an older woman who refused to provide her details and a middle-aged man lunged at a teenage worker, said the co-owner of the Dymocks Melbourne CBD store, Melissa Traverso.

“To have three physical attacks on innocent booksellers just doing their job is a very bad day,” said Mr Traverso.

“Who would have thought that working in a bookshop as a bookseller would be a dangerous occupation.”

In response to the attacks, the Dymocks store in Melbourne’s CBD has hired security guards to patrol the main entrance – an expense which is costing the business thousands of dollars each week.

“It’s one week into this mandate. People are just not able to cope with it,” said Mr Traverso.

“They are just sick of it. We are nearing 92 per cent fully vaccinated. Enough is enough. Just give up those stupid mandates.”

Similar attacks have also occurred in retail stores and cafes around Melbourne. The owner of Briki Cafe in the inner Melbourne suburb of Thornbury, Symeon Kandias found his store vandalised with a sign that read: “Do what Daniel Andrews says and we will burn your shop down and kill you”.

Symeon Kandias found this sign taped to his door. Picture: 9 News/ A Current Affair.

Speaking to 3AW radio, Mr Kandias said someone threw a brick through his window.

“The main window was all shattered, and there’s a massive, massive brick inside,” he said.

“The entrance door was all smashed up as well, and they left a lovely threatening note on the door, just to say what it’s all about.”

The pattern of attacks and anger from violent customers are in response to the revised steps in Victoria’s Road map out of lockdowns.

Rules concerning retail customers changed on November 26 which barred unvaccinated shoppers from non-essential entering stores, despite previously being allowed in.

The move has earned Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews criticism from Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra who said aggression towards staff had increased.

“Our members have reported thousands of incidences of customer aggression including many acts of significant violence towards retail staff – such as staff being beaten up, an instance of a boiling cup of coffee being thrown over a frontline worker and a shopping trolley being thrown at another,” he wrote in an open letter to Mr Andrews.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the controversial vaccine mandates will continue to remain in place. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling.

On Tuesday, Mr Andrews confirmed vaccine mandates would still be in place until the health advice changed.

Currently, workers from several industries and settings must be able to show their full vaccination, or medical exemption in order to continue working. This includes employees from emergency services, agriculture, retail, public sector workers and construction.

“We will continue to review continuously all of the rules and that includes the way the vaccinated economy operates,” he said.