From the Hobart Mercury:

Hobart racism attack shock
Mark Worley

THESE are the young, innocent faces of racism in Tasmania.

The young female Chinese students say they were subjected to racial slurs, telling them to “go back to your own country”, twice in Hobart this week.

And they are not isolated incidents, according to their teachers.

The two incidents occurred within 24 hours of each other on Thursday afternoon and yesterday morning.

On Thursday afternoon the three young women were yelled at by a man on a bus from Hobart to Moonali, and yesterday they were shoved in Liverpool St by two women and a man.

English language students Grace Wong, 15, Yolanda Zhang, 17, and Crystal Lin, 18, were scared by the abuse and physical intimidation.

“We were just walking down the street when they bumped into us, and then yelled at us,” Ms Wong said.

“They swore at us loudly and called us names.

“I don’t understand why they were angry with us. We didn’t do anything wrong.” Tasmanian College of English teacher Rachel Wasilejko was walking behind the three girls when the incident in Liverpool St occurred.

“I was shocked and disgusted,” Ms Wasllejko said.

“They shoved past the girls and then yelled at them to go back to their own f……g country.

“It was unprovoked, in broad daylight, in the middle of the CBD in Liverpool St. I can’t remember ever seeing anything like it in Hobart.” Fellow English teacher Karen Welcirick said it was not the first time Tasmanian College of English students had been victimised.

“A few months ago a car drove past a group of young Asian men in the street and threw a beer bottle at them,” Ms Welcirick said.

“They yelled racial abuse at them as well and the police had to be called.” Inspector Craig Waterhouse, of the State Community Policing Services, said cases of racial abuse were rare in Tasmania.

“It is not a big issue but of course these things do happen from time to time and, when they do, we address them accordingly,” Insp Waterhouse said.