Sydney, April 21 (IANS) A Muslim couple from Brisbane who were racially abused on a Sydney train last week, on Tuesday said that they intend to press charges against the abuser.
New South Wales (NSW) Police are investigating after footage of the incident posted online went viral, ABC reported.
The short video uploaded by Stacey Eden, 23, who defended the couple, shows an elderly woman racially abusing Hafeez Bhatti Ahmed and his wife Khalida, who were travelling on an Airport line train last Wednesday.
Bhatti, originally from Pakistan, confirmed he has spoken to Queensland Police and is preparing an official statement for them.
He said he would ask police to charge the woman who abused his wife.
“Because of that incident, she touched my wife’s head, that is one issue that I will raise,” he said.
He said he and his wife are still shaken by the incident and are very alert when they leave their home.
Bhatti said he has received positive messages after the incident but also received several threats online, with one Facebook profile called “Christian Soldiers” threatening to kill him.
“One guy swore at me and he wrote that I’m an Islamic propaganda terrorist,” he said.
Bhatti said he has also faced a backlash of people calling him a coward for not speaking up.
“People are saying I’m not a brave man for not standing up for my wife,” he said.