A woman has been charged with assaulting four Muslim women in an attack NSW Police have described as a hate crime.
The 39-year-old woman allegedly assaulted and intimidated the women - aged between 18 and 23 - on Wednesday afternoon in Ultimo in Sydney.
The victims were reportedly wearing hijabs.
Police say the incident was a "bias-motivated crime".
"Abuse and racist behaviour will not be tolerated and police will fully investigate anyone who violates the law," Superintendent Daniel Sullivan said in a statement on Thursday.
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The Islamaphobia Register Australia says Muslim women wearing hijabs often bear the brunt of abuse.
"We are very concerned with the escalation of both the frequency of incidents of Islamophobia and the level of violence," spokeswoman Mariam Veiszadeh said in a statement.
The 39-year-old was charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and two counts of common assault.
