A Melbourne family was bashed and told to “get out of the country” in an alleged racist attack at the car park of Lynbrook Hotel.
It is reported that the attackers targeted Mr Lynn Balm’s brother and sister-in-law, Keith and Jacqueline Prakasham.
When Mr Balm, 54 yo, stepped in to to protect them, he was also severely bashed.
Jacqueline Prakasham told media that she was getting out of the car when the alleged racist abuse was hurled at her.
“Straight away he said: ‘you f…… Indians, you f…… Indians get out.'”
Mr Balm was allegedly beaten badly with punches and kicks outside the hotel. He told 9News:
“They scuffed me on the ground and started punching me, kicking me on my ribs.”
He further alleged that the attackers said:
“Get out of this country, you don’t belong in this country. My sister-in-law, poor thing – she’d been hit and pushed. That’s why I came to pull him out from her.”
Mr Balm was left with serious facial injuries that required stitches and an overnight hospital care at the hospital.
Mr Balm’s niece Kerri Prakasham shared photos of the alleged attacker on social media.
Ms Prakasham wrote:
“This isn’t the first or the last time a racial attack will be made against an Indian person — or even a person of colour. I just never in my life thought that it would hit this close to home.”
Despite their ordeal, the family’s message to their alleged racist attackers is “we are all one” and race does not matter.
Mrs Prakasham says:
“We don’t want any harm to come to you … but, learn a lesson, treat everyone equally.”
Victoria Police are speaking to a 29-year-old man from Clyde North in Melbourne’s southeast in relation to the attack and are not looking for anyone else at this stage.
