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A teenage schoolgirl who was called an “immigrant terrorist” aboard a crowded Sydney bus has been praised for her bravery as a man prepares to face court over the vile remarks that shocked commuters.
Janna, 13, was wearing her hijab and school uniform when she saw an older male passenger allegedly taking photos of another young girl on the bus departing Strathfield station last Thursday.
She told the girl she was being photographed, triggering the 50-year-old man who launched the tirade.
“You’re an immigrant mutt, all right, you don’t deserve to be here,” Omar Yassine says in a video of the incident captured by worried onlookers.
“I was born here,” Janna responded.
“I don’t give a f—, you’re an immigrant terrorist,” Yassine allegedly says.
Confronted by another woman who identified herself as a teacher, he points to a camera on the bus.
“That’s where the federal government is watching you,” he says.
Yassine was arrested at Greenacre on Tuesday afternoon.
He spent the night in custody ahead of his appearance at Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday, charged with stalking and intimidating with intent to cause fear of physical harm.
Janna said on Tuesday she has not caught the bus since the incident but would act the same if faced with a similar situation in the future.
“It was a bit unbelievable that it could happen because I have never experienced something like that while I was going home, but I’ve recovered since then,” she told ABC Radio Sydney.
“It’s a very bad thing to have happened and it didn’t feel nice.”
NSW Police acting Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna earlier said officers would “throw the book” at Yassine.
“Social cohesion at the moment is at a precipice … and we investigate every single one of these matters that come our way,” he said.
Janna’s mother Roula said divisive rhetoric was fuelling attacks like the kind directed at her daughter, and called on politicians to “calm down” hate speech.
“Pauline Hanson definitely has a lot of things to say … she’s just making it worse for all the Muslim women,” Roula said.
The Federal Court found in 2024 that Hanson has a tendency to make hateful statements about migrants and Muslims, in a case over a social media post directed at Senator Mehreen Faruqi.
Hanson’s office has not responded to a request for comment.
The Islamophobia Register Australia said it was “deeply disturbed” by the bus incident, adding Janna’s bravery “must not obscure the gravity of what happened”.
Senator Fatima Payman said the incident was sickening but not shocking.
“I have personally experienced a huge increase in racialised, sexist and Islamophobic abuse over the last six to 12 months, which coincides with the rise and platforming of a certain Queensland senator,” Payman said.
“A 13-year-old should be able to ride the bus home from school without fearing for her life and safety. It’s a disgusting shame that a grown man would scream those words at a child.”
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Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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