Australian police charged a 31-year-old woman with allegedly assaulting two Muslim women in Melbourne last week, one of whom was pregnant, over their head coverings, ABC News reported on Wednesday.
Suzan Gonulalan, 31, faces charges of “intentionally and recklessly causing injury, unlawful assault, and aggravated assault” following the attacks. Local police stated that “the victims were allegedly targeted due to wearing head coverings.”
“There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour, and such activity will not be tolerated,” the police said.
According to local authorities, the assaults occurred on Feb. 13 at a shopping centre in Melbourne.
Gonulalan is accused of attacking a 30-year-old pregnant woman at the Pacific Epping shopping centre on High Street before allegedly assaulting a 26-year-old woman 10 minutes later.
One victim recounted being grabbed from behind and choked with her hijab in front of her four-year-old daughter, while the other reported being beaten and pushed to the ground.
Investigators are also looking into reports of online threats directed at one of the victims.
As per the ABC News, Gonulalan was out on four sets of bail and had a history of committing targeted attacks, police say. She was freed on a fifth set of bail on Feb. 13 evening, despite the opposition of police and the alleged victims in the case.
Gonulalan’s defence lawyer Alex McClure argued her client was a vulnerable person who suffered from a psychotic disorder and should be released to receive treatment. Magistrate Foster agreed.
Police had argued for Gonulalan to be kept behind bars, saying she posed an unacceptable risk to others and that her alleged victims were now living in fear.
Gonulalan was arrested on Wednesday, after police accused her of attacking Ealaf Al-Esawie and Kawthar Ali in separate incidents at Epping Plaza on Feb. 13.
Detective Acting Sergeant Leanne Parfett told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the women were assaulted because they were wearing hijabs, a Muslim headscarf that covers the top of the head and shoulders.
Ms Ali, who is pregnant and was with her daughter, was allegedly approached from behind and dragged to the ground by the hijab.
Soon after, Ms Gonulalan attacked Ms Al-Esawie, the court heard.
“The accused slapped her and used both her hands to push her over,” Acting Sergeant Parfett said.
Acting Sergeant Parfett said Ms Gonulalan was on four sets of bail at the time of the incidents on Feb. 13, which the officer said were captured on the shopping centre’s security cameras.
The court heard Ms Gonulalan was previously found guilty over a 2020 attack where she assaulted a Hijab-wearing woman at a medical centre.
Acting Sergeant Parfett also alleged Ms Gonulalan racially abused an Asian woman at a train station, although charges were not laid.
The 31-year-old’s previous criminal history included 130 charges, including assaults, threats to kill, criminal damage, thefts and breaching court orders.
