Racist link in cabbie bashing
MICHAEL STEDMAN
February 23, 2009 08:20am
AN Iraq-born taxi driver who was bashed on Saturday night says he has suffered ongoing harassment linked to racism.
The man, known as Sam, collected three men and two women in a maxi-cab at Castray Esplanade about 10pm on Saturday.
Sam said the passengers complained and abused him as soon as he pressed the flagfall.
"I was trying to explain, then once they realised I had an accent as well it turned into racial abuse," Sam said.
"I tried to ignore it but I was being showered with abuse. I said: 'Unless you behave, I'm not taking you anywhere.' "
He said one of the women told the others to shut up and said they were going to the casino.
"I said: 'Please stop swearing, please behave.'
"They told me to stop outside [takeaway store] Mykonos," he said.
As they left, he asked them to pay the $8.90 fare.
"One of them said: 'You don't deserve to get paid, you f... refugee' and spat on me, then spat on me again and I spat on him," Sam said.
He then got out of the cab.
"I received punches and blacked out," he said.
"I woke up [on the footpath] covered in blood. I struggled to get to the cab and couldn't find the emergency button.
"Then I remembered the two-way radio."
Other taxi drivers came to his aid and called the police and ambulance.
Sam estimated all five people were aged between 30 and the early 40s.
He believed one man hit him.
When one of the women went to hit him, he ran away and she goaded him in response, he said.
Sam spent most of the night in hospital.
He had two loose teeth and his mouth and throat were full of blood.
Last night he was talking with difficulty.
Sam said police told him they found the alleged offenders but that they had a different story and, because it was "five against one", charges were not laid.
Sam said he did not want his full name to appear in the paper.
"I'm from Iraq. I have no relatives or friends and I've moved house so many times because of racial problems or abuse," he said.
• Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.
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