A man threatened to shoot a fellow commuter during a harrowing racial attack on a train from the CBD to Footscray.
The man told Tarneit woman Arna Dionysopoulos he would love to put a gun to her head and shoot her then do the same to her parents.
Ms Dionysopoulos boarded the train at Melbourne Central about 4.20pm on Wednesday.
The man got on at North Melbourne and sat opposite her. She said he began abusing her after seeing her surname on an identification tag.
THE ALLEGED ABUSER
The Australia-born IT consultant, the daughter of a Greek father and German mother, said she was told, “Wogs don’t belong here, you should get out of Australia. Your country sucks. I’ll put a gun to your head and shoot you.”
The 26-year-old said she tried to ignore the man before taking his photo and moving to stand by a door.
“I realised he wasn’t just someone who was just talking, it could actually be really serious,” she said.
“It’s shocking, I’ve lived here my whole life. Being Australian is quite important to me.”
When another commuter told the man to calm down he warned that he was carrying four knives and threatened to use them.
Ms Dionysopoulos left the train at Footscray but was followed by her abuser. She reported the matter to station staff and called triple-0.
Footscray police’s First Constable Simone Peirce said everyone had the right to ride a train without fear of being abused.
“Arna is quite upset and it’s unacceptable in today’s society,” she said.
The man is described as Caucasian, 173-183cm tall, of thin build and unshaven. He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and dark-coloured cap.
Anyone with any information, call Crime Stoppers on 1800333000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
