Melbourne woman targeted in Islamophobic attack due to pro-Palestine support

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Melbourne woman came under an Islamophobic attack on Thursday, according to an independent organization that tracks anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia.

"Last night, a Melbourne woman found the words 'Get out Muslim C***' and 'Death to Palestine' alongside a number of swastikas graffitied on her driveway outside her Melbourne home in Victoria," said the Islamophobia Register Australia in a statement on Friday.

"The victim, a non-Muslim woman named Rita Mannessis believes she was targeted as she’s shown open support for the Palestinian cause," said the statement.

The organization noted that the incident comes amid an unprecedented surge in Islamophobic incidents since October 7.

An investigation into vandalism at home of 53-year-old remains ongoing, Victoria police told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"There is absolutely no place in our society for hate-based symbols and behaviour," said a statement.

Manessis told the ABC that she was "kind of numb to it at the moment" but was shocked when the incident first took place and immediately informed the police.

She stated that the incident would not prevent her from participating in pro-Palestinian vigils and protests in the future.

"I don't feel unsafe. I feel more angry, because we know why they do this; to intimidate people," Manessis added.

She has a firm message for the perpetrators: "I would say to this person, whoever did it: 'Thank you for shining that light on the real division and the real anti-Semitism and the real Islamophobia that exists in our local neighborhood'."

Executive director of the Islamophobia Register Australia Nora Amath said more incidents like what happened to Manessis may occur if the public discourse around the Israel-Gaza war continues to be "polarizing, inflammatory, and dehumanizing."

Amath also highlighted that reports and public discussions on the Israel-Gaza war need to provide more context and be more thoughtful.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.