Student reports antisemitism on Melbourne train

A Jewish student has reported receiving an antisemitic response from a public transport officer while travelling on Melbourne’s Sandringham line last Monday afternoon.

Mordi, who has asked his surname not be used, was travelling from Ripponlea station to Brighton at 1.06pm on July 7 when the incident occurred.

The Adass Israel school student, who was dressed in a manner that identified him as Jewish, said he was feeling nervous about using public transport following recent incidents in Melbourne’s CBD over the weekend.

When a public transport officer approached him and asked what was happening, Mordi explained his concerns about travelling as a Jewish person in light of recent events.

“I don’t care about that; I don’t care that you are Jewish,” the officer reportedly responded, before walking away.

Mordi described the officer as aggressive and said the encounter left him feeling “nervous, anxious, feeling like no one cares about us”.

The incident has prompted responses from multiple agencies, with Public Transport Victoria, Victoria Police, and the Premier’s office all notified.

Mordi has written to Premier Jacinta Allan about the incident. The Premier’s office has forwarded his letter to Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt for consideration.

“My school is not happy. No one’s happy. It’s disgusting,” Mordi said.

Public Transport Victoria has responded through its passenger relations coordinator, acknowledging the seriousness of the complaint.

“Based solely on the details of your report, it is not acceptable for any of our staff to respond to a customer in the manner in which you have reported,” the PTV response stated.

“We do not tolerate discrimination in any form and a person’s age, gender, nationality, sexuality, race or appearance has no impact on the level of service provided by our staff.”

PTV confirmed the matter has been referred to their Protocols & Compliance manager for follow-up, stating they “take such reports seriously” and handle complaints “in accordance with our internal procedures”.

PTV has been contacted for comment.