Woman charged over attacks on two Muslim women at Epping Shopping Centre

The Prime Minister has broken his silence over an Islamophobic attack on two women at a Victorian shopping centre, with police claiming the alleged victims were targeted because they were wearing head coverings.

Police arrested a 31-year-old Pascoe Vale woman on Wednesday morning and charged her with intentionally and recklessly causing injury, unlawful assault and aggravated assault.

It is alleged she assaulted a 30-year-old Lalor woman before attacking 26-year-old Wollert woman Ealaf Al-Easawi ten minutes later inside the Pacific Epping Shopping Centre on February 13.

Both women were injured in the frightening attacks.

“She came straight towards me, slapped me with what I believe was a closed fist to the left side of face and my chest and shoved me so hard to the tiled floor,” Ms Al-Easawi told AAP.

The childcare worker had been grocery shopping on her break and said she had never seen her attacker before.

“I was shaking. I could barely talk and breathe,” Ms Al-Easawi said.

The 26-year-old says she is now too scared to leave her home and has trouble sleeping due to body aches, bruises and back pain.

“I feel terrified, traumatised and still can’t believe what happened to me,” she said.

“The scene won’t come out of my head. It keeps repeating itself in my mind - how I got attacked.

“I’m not a homebody, but since Thursday, I’ve been stuck in front of the four walls, and every crack I hear from the house, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, there’s someone coming’.”

The Pascoe Vale woman is due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to face the charges on Wednesday.

Police say they are also continuing to investigate a report of online threats being made against one of the victims.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese broke his silence about the Islamophobic attacks on Wednesday, saying: “Any attack on people on the basis of their faith or who they are is reprehensible, and I certainly hope that the perpetrators get tracked down and face the full force of the law.”

Mr Albanese also denied Australians view Islamophobia differently to anti-Semitism, pointing to the appointment of a special envoy on Islamophobia.

“I take all attacks on the basis of people’s faiths seriously,” he said.

Ms Al-Easawi said the slow reponse from political leaders to condemn the attack had caused fear within the community.

“It causes this terrible thing inside that person feeling, ‘oh, why aren’t they condemning this?’” she said.

“I am part of this country, and this country is a multicultural country.”

On Monday, the Australian National Imams Council issued a statement condemning the “heinous and barbaric” attacks, saying they represented a “horrifying escalation of Islamophobic violence targeted at innocent people in our communities simply because of their faith”.

“Both victims, one of whom is pregnant, were taken to Northern Hospital by ambulance for treatment after being left with bruises, scratches, and potentially long-term physical injuries.

“Despite the prompt response of police and ambulance officers at the scene, the aftermath of this incident has left the victims feeling ignored and fearing for their safety.”

The Imams said that one of the victims had been subjected to online threats after she posted about the incident on Facebook and that police had minimised her concerns, actions they say endangered lives and emboldened perpetrators.

”We insist on an overhaul of current protocols to ensure that all Islamophobic attacks are taken seriously, and that those affected receive the necessary follow-up and referrals to victim support services,” they wrote.

“We demand justice for the victims and assert that no act of hate should be minimised or ignored. It is imperative to ensure the safety and dignity of every individual, regardless of faith.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Victoria Police said: “There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist, or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated.”

— with AAP