20/09/2026
This afternoon at approximately 4:30pm, an international student from South Asia was assaulted by a group of teenagers at The Junction Fair.
I happened to be at The Junction at the time and witnessed the incident. I immediately called 000, stayed with the student to help calm her down, accompanied her to the police station, and assisted with her statement as one of the witnesses.
From what I witnessed, there were three young people involved, while the student was by herself, simply listening to music and minding her own business. She was struck in the face during the incident.
I understand this matter is now with police, and I will leave the investigation and determination of what happened to them.
What concerns me deeply is that this young woman, arrived in Australia only about a month ago. She was already having a difficult day, and then experienced something like this.
As President of an international student association at the University of Newcastle, this is extremely concerning to me.
Every year, young people come to Australia from different countries to study. Many are teenagers or in their early twenties. They leave behind their parents, siblings, friends, partners and support networks to pursue their education and build a better future.
They should be able to walk around Newcastle without being afraid of being targeted because of where they come from.
If racism was involved in this incident, it is completely unacceptable.
If you have frustrations about immigration or government policy, take those concerns to the people who make those policies. Do not take them out on innocent international students.
International students are not the government.
They are not immigration policy.
They are young people trying to study, work, make friends and build a life.
Tonight, I am thinking about the victim and hoping she is surrounded by people who can support her after what happened.
To our international students: please look after one another, speak up when something happens, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
And to the wider Newcastle community — we need to make sure our international students know that they are welcome here and that they belong here.
No one should be assaulted because of who they are or where they come from.
Gzelle
