Woman dubbed ‘Zionist Karen’ is charged after allegedly threatening a pro-Palestinian mum in Bankstown Kmart
A woman who allegedly verbally abused and intimidated a mother and daughter at Kmart over their pro-Palestine outfits, has spent the night behind bars.
The extraordinary encounter on Friday afternoon at a Bankstown shopping centre in south-west Sydney, saw a woman erupt into a foul-mouthed tirade at a shopper.
Video filmed by the alleged victim Mariam, shows the woman in the video unleash a torrent of abuse at her and her terrified 10-year-old daughter.
‘Are you proud of wearing ‘From the river to the sea?’,’ the woman roared at the pair, referring to the slogan used extensively by the pro-Palestine movement.
The phrase refers to the Israeli border between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
‘You are… get f***** Allah,’ the woman’s tirade continued. ‘Every f****** day. F*** off.’
NSW Police launched an investigation into the incident and following inquiries, arrested a woman, 39, at a home in Parramatta in Sydney’s west on Sunday night.
The woman was charged with one count each of publicly threatening violence on grounds of religion, behaving in an offensive manner, using offensive language and harassing with the intent of causing fear of physical harm.
A woman (pictured) has been charged over an alleged outburst in Kmart
The woman was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court on Monday.
Police made the arrest hours after footage was widely shared on social media platform X captioned: ‘Raging lunatic… aka Zionist Karen’.
The footage sparked a rally outside Bankstown Police Station on Sunday, just hours before the woman was arrested, calling on more action amid claims officers didn’t investigate until the following day.
Canterbury Bankstown mayor Bilal El Hayek was among the community leaders to condemn the incident.
‘I have been made aware of and watched footage of a deeply concerning incident at Kmart Bankstown,’ he wrote on Facebook.
‘We are committed to ensuring that everyone in Canterbury-Bankstown feels safe and respected.
‘Our city is built on values of diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect.
‘Hate speech and discrimination are never acceptable, and we must all work together to create an environment of kindness and understanding.’
Mariam (pictured) recalled the alleged abuse she and daughter copped in Kmart at a rally outside Bankstown Police Station on Sunday
Arab-Australian poet and local Greens federal election candidate Omar Sakr added:
‘We deserve better than the police force that doesn’t bother to show up to the scene of a crime,’ Sakr said.
‘Mariam deserves better than this; our community deserves better than this.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for comment.
