A 27-year-old woman is in custody facing assault and offensive language charges over an alleged racial abuse incident in Huntly last night that has since gone viral online.
Mehpara Khan posted video of the incident on social media last night, saying in a Facebook post that she was attacked “for being Muslim” by a woman who “took a couple of swings at me”.
Ms Khan has said it happened after she and her two friends went to use public toilets in Huntly.
Waikato police say following an incident reported in Huntly yesterday, they have arrested a 27-year-old woman.
She is in custody and faces charges of assault, assault with a weapon, and offensive language, and will appear in Hamilton District Court tomorrow, said Waikato West Area Commander, Inspector Naila Hassan in a statement this afternoon.
The incident was first reported to police last night and after being provided with video evidence, staff have acted quickly to make an arrest, Ms Hassan said.
Police do not condone threatening behaviour, she said.
“Complaints such as these will always be thoroughly investigated by police, and victims should not hesitate to report incidents to us.
“While we appreciate the video will generate public discussion, the matter is now before the courts, and police do not intend to make any further statements,” Ms Hassan said.
The video was uploaded to Facebook last night and has since been viewed nearly 400,000 times.
Woman, 27, charged over alleged anti-Muslim attack in Huntly after video goes viral