Canterbury-Bankstown Police are investigating an attack on two pro-Palestinian supporters who entered the Kmart store at Bankstown as customers on December 20.

The woman responsible for the attack has still not been identified. NSW Police explained that investigations had identified a source with further information.

A spokesperson for the Police Command Unit issued a statement on December 22, explaining the ongoing investigation.

“Despite several attempts, officers attached to Bankstown Local Area Command have as yet been unable to secure a formal statement about the incident…

NSW Police has made it clear again and again, that any form of hate crime against any person or group is completely unacceptable and we make every effort to take the appropriate action to identify those responsible,” the spokesperson said.

The Mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown, Bilal El-Hayek, was one of the first to publicly condemn the attack on his official Facebook account. He is also one of the people responsible for reporting the video to the local Bankstown Police Command.“

(The) Canterbury-Bankstown community was subjected to hostile Islamophobic and hateful behaviour. This has no place in our community, and it will not be tolerated….

I want to assure the community that I have spoken with the police, and they are actively investigating the matter,” he shared on his official Facebook account.

The video circulating on social media shows a woman walking towards several people who were allegedly wearing pro-Palestine clothing inside the Bankstown Kmart store, yelling, “are you proud, wearing ‘from the River to the Sea’? ‘Get fucked, Allah, every fucking day, fuck off.”

The term ‘Allah’ is an Arabic word for God, used not only in Islam but also in other religions, such as Druze and Christianity. This attack reflects increasing tensions within the community who have been impacted directly, or indirectly by the conflict in the Middle East.

Residents of Canterbury-Bankstown experienced a similar hate attack on December 15, when Islamophobic graffiti was painted on a busy underpass in Chester Hill, a suburb of the region. The Premier, Chris Minns, along with the local Member for Blaxland and Federal Education Minister, condemned the attack, labelling it ‘disgusting’ and ‘abhorrent.'”

Several pro-Palestine supporters gathered peacefully outside the Bankstown Police Station on the morning of December 22, in support of the victims and the wider Palestinian community.

Anyone with information, CCTV (or) dashcam footage, or who witnessed the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or log onto www.crimestoppers.com.au.

Oz Arab Media has contacted Kmart, a division of the Wesfarmers Group, and Canterbury-Bankstown Council for further comment.