A woman accused of intimidation and publicly threatening violence on the grounds of religion after an incident at a Kmart in Sydney’s south-west is accused of crashing her car into a school principal just days earlier.
Kelly Farrugia, 39, was captured shouting at a mother and her daughter in a Kmart in Bankstown after spotting their pro-Palestinian outfits.
She stood in front of the pair, who were filming the encounter, for several seconds before finally asking: “Are you proud of ‘From the River to the Sea?’ carries, referring to the slogan frequently used by the pro-Palestinian movement.
The phrase refers to Israel’s border from the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
“You’re…get damn Allah,” she said. “Every damn day. Fuck off.”
Police have now claimed in court that Farrugia narrowly avoided Granville Boys High School principal Noel Dixon being hit with her car outside the school on December 18.
“It’s a long story,” Farrugia told acting magistrate Ray Plibersek at the Parramatta Bail Court, the district court. Daily Telegraph reported.
‘I got a call from the police telling me they have recorded me and if I do anything they will threaten me with an AVO.’
A woman (pictured) dubbed a ‘Zionist Karen’ stunned a mother and daughter in a Kmart store after taking great offense to their outfits
Farrugia claimed in court that Mr Dixon was ‘using the school as his own Pentagon’.
Mr. Dixon is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Farrugia is not only charged with the Kmart incident, but also with common assault and harassment following the incident outside Granville Boys High School.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Bassin opposed bail, saying police will allege Farrugia has a predisposition to “racially motivated stereotyping or targeting.”
“That is concerning, especially the matter that occurred within Kmart where she appears to have had no prior interactions with the complainants,” he said.
“These are people just going about their business and running errands while facing significant intimidation and insults.”
Sergeant Bassin said the incident involving Mr Dixon posed a risk to the public.
‘There were other students on the roundabout at the time. What does indicate that he was very close to the actual complainant is that he felt the wind from the vehicle – the car must have come very close, and fortunately there was no collision,” he said.
The woman (pictured) shouted and used foul language when she saw her fellow customers wearing pro-Palestinian T-shirts
Mr Khan, a legal aid lawyer, said Farrugia had an “annoyance or contempt” for people of certain faiths.
Farrugia was granted bail on condition she lived with her father, kept a curfew between 9pm and 5am and did not go within 500 meters of Granville or Bankstown.
“It’s theirs, they can have it,” Farrugia said.
She has to appear in court again next month.