Luigi Spina, accidental hero, arrived in Melbourne two months ago.
Friday 24 February: it's around 11.30 pm and 24-year-old Luigi Spina has just finished his shift as a chef of a Crown Casino restaurant in Melbourne, when he notices a man who is trying to pick fights with passers-by.
When the man allegedly first punches a young woman in the face then tries to strangle her, Luigi intervenes. He kicks the man and frees the victim, but is stabbed by the aggressor. Luigi told us about his misadventure in an interview in Italian.
“I decided to intervene because it seemed to me the right thing to do”
Luigi’s act has been defined by many as heroic, but it has cost him a serious abdominal injury, of which he only became aware when blood started to pour out of his wound. Once taken to hospital, Luigi underwent emergency surgery.
It was found that the knife had also perforated one of his kidneys.
Now in recovery, according to doctors, he will heal slowly but completely.
"I did not see his knife… When I felt blood on my pants I feared I was dying"
A 21-year-old man was subsequently arrested over the stabbing, on Grimshaw St, Greensborough.
Luigi’s story featured on Channel 7:
Luigi Spina comes from San Polo Matese, a small town in the Italian region Molise, near Campobasso. He has been in Australia for about two months and works as a chef. Luigi was about to start working in a farm in Queensland to renew his working holiday visa, but his plans have obviously changed.
Despite his misadventure, Luigi told us that Australia remains his "dreamland", and that by and large he has found Australians to be friendly and welcoming.
Luigi Spina (a destra) prima dell'aggressione Source: Courtesy of Luigi Spina
“Ill-intentioned people can be met anywhere in the world,” he adds philosophically.
The place where the aggression took place, in Southbank, Melbourne (image from GoogleMaps).
Yarra Promenade, Melbourne Source: GoogleMaps
"I wanted to move to Queensland to work in a farm, now all my projects are up in the air"
Luigi Spina's act has been hailed as heroic by many (image from 7 News Facebook)
Face Up To Racism #FU2Racism with a season of stories and programs challenging preconceptions around race and prejudice. Tune in to watch Is Australia Racist? (airs on Sunday 26 February at 8.30pm), Date My Race (airs Monday 27 February at 8.30pm) and The Truth About Racism (airs Wednesday 1 March at 8.30pm). Watch all the documentaries online after they air at SBS On Demand.
Source: Facebook
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