Australian police charge teens over ‘racist’ train rant
(Warning: Graphic and racist language in the video above)
Australian police charged two teenagers on Sunday after a video of one of them allegedly racially abusing a train guard in a five-minute rant went viral online.
The young men, aged 17 and 18, were questioned by Queensland police earlier Sunday over the expletive-filled tirade on a Brisbane train on Oct 2.
A video of the incident attracted thousands of views after it was posted on Facebook and YouTube on Saturday.
One of the teenagers started hurling abuse at the guard after he was told to take his feet off a seat, while another person believed to be his friend recorded the video as he giggled and laughed.
“Do you want to come to Australia and learn some proper English?” the teenager yelled before allegedly using racist and offensive language.
The younger man was charged with assault, creating a nuisance in a train and threatening violence, while the 18-year-old was charged with creating a nuisance on a train, Queensland police said in a statement.
“It will further be alleged one of the men verbally abused and spat on a male security officer,” police added.
Both were due to appear in a Brisbane court on Monday.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was in Brisbane Sunday, said he “absolutely deplored” the incident.
“I think it’s un-Australian... to abuse people in a public place just because you don’t like the way they look, or you don’t like the way they dress or you make assumptions about what they believe.” - Prime Minister Tony Abbott
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman praised the guard for his “admirable restraint”.
In July, a 55-year-old woman was given a good behaviour bond after racially abusing passengers on a Sydney train journey in a rant that was also captured on video and posted online.
In 2012, a French-speaking woman singing on a Melbourne bus was told by a man to “speak English or die” in another viral video.
Two Chinese students were burned, beaten and racially abused on a Sydney train the same year. - AFP
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