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Racist comments on Melbourne tram attract support, condemnation

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Racist comments on Melbourne tram attract support, condemnation

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12th July, 2018

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YOU might expect unanimous condemnation of the two racist teens filmed vilifying an Asian man on a Melbourne tram.

Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.

News.com.au first reported the teens, on a tram from Northcote to Docklands through the city last week, targeted the man with comments including "f**k off back to your own country" and "go cook some more f***ing cats".

Former ADF member Sean Fitzsimons intervened, filming the teens and asking them: "You really gonna carry on like that on a tram? You racist f***ing pigs."

The teens covered their faces but did not shy away from their comments.

"I just want fried rice, bro," one of them said.

The other told Mr Fitzsimons he did not know who he was dealing with.

""Who the f**k do you think you're talking to, c**t. You're talking to two girls that you don't know what [they] are capable of, yeah?"

The story attracted a number of comments. The majority of responses praised Mr Fitzsimons for shaming the teens.

"Glad he called them out," Nem Moran wrote.

"I really hope that more people will stand up and say something if they see this happening anywhere in public," Suge White wrote.

But others went in the opposite direction.

One reader, who did not wish to be named, told news.com.au the young women were pushing back against immigration.

Another said: "Telling him to cook a cat isn't all that far from the truth. It's like someone saying, 'Why don't you go eat some cabbage salad, wog boy' to me."

Listener Paul told 3AW he didn't think the girls were being racist at all.

"I've listened to the rant on the tram but can't see where the racism is," he said. "They do eat cats and dogs."

It's a shocking response to a scene that occurs all too often. News.com.au previously reported two teens on a Frankston to the city train in March targeted an Asian woman because she was coughing.

The victim, a cancer patient named Mila, attracted stares from the two girls before asking them to kindly look away. That's when the situation escalated.

"So what, who gives a f**k?" one of the young women says. She then asks the woman: "What are you going to do? Go back to your own f***ing country."

Mr Fitzsimons told news.com.au he intervened because he knew it was the right thing to do.

"Having served in the Australian Defence Force and represented this country I'm disgusted this still occurs and urge anyone else witnessing anything similar to stand up and do what's right, whether that's capturing it on audio or video if it's not safe to intervene.

"We really need to send a clear message that any racism or discrimination is not accepted at all. You can see by their reaction after being called out, they immediately went silent, social media is powerful and allows us to really hold people accountable for their actions."

He told the Asian man the girls were targeting that he would be happy to take around the city to show him how real Melburnians treat people.

"To the man who was victimised on that tram, I want to apologise on behalf of Melbourne and its people. You are very welcome here, mate, and if you'd like a personal tour of Melbourne please get in touch," Mr Fitzsimons said.

A reader reached out to news.com.au on Wednesday evening telling a similar story.

He said he was targeted on a train from Melbourne's Southern Cross Station to Ginifer, in the city's west, on Tuesday when two young girls taunted an Asian man with racist comments.

"There were these two girls, one had a shaved head of short height, while the other wore black framed glasses. They passed very awkward comments pertaining to racism."

rohan.smith1@news.com.au | @ro_smith

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YOU might expect unanimous condemnation of the two racist teens filmed vilifying an Asian man on a Melbourne tram. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. News.com.au first reported the teens, on a tram from Northcote to Docklands through the city last week, targeted the man with comments including "f**k off back to your own country" and "go cook some more f***ing cats".