Police are investigating whether the assault of two women in Melbourne’s north was a hate-based attack.
An as-yet-unidentified woman assaulted a 30-year-old woman inside the Pacific Epping shopping centre about 1pm last Thursday, police said. A few minutes later, the same attacker pushed a second woman, aged 26, to the ground.
Police say two women were assaulted at the shopping centre in High Street, Epping, last Thursday,
The Australian National Imams Council said on Monday that the victims were Muslim and condemned the attacks as “heinous and barbaric”.
The attacker fled the scene with a man, police said. Both victims were taken to hospital.
A police spokeswoman said officers were investigating whether the attacks were “prejudice-motivated assaults”.
“There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated,” she said in a statement on Monday.
The imams’ council said the attacks left the women with bruises and scratches.
“Alarmingly, one of the victims was subjected to online threats after sharing the incident to a community group on Facebook,” it said in a statement.
Ambulance Victoria said it was called but not required for the incidents.
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