A man has been arrested and will face charges after vandalising restaurant Arabella, in the second attack on the beloved Newtown dining institution this week.
Yesterday, we spoke to Moey Hachem, after an earlier attack that saw the restaurant’s glass windows shattered, and racist slurs like ‘fuck Arabs’ scrawled into them. Overnight, improbably enough, another attack occurred on the restaurant.
At around 1am, a group of people, including the owner, were inside and heard a commotion. They walked outside to discover a 23-year-old man in a back alley, smashing a ceramic basin.
They were able to detain him until police arrived – he was found to be carrying a quantity of methamphetamine, and was taken into custody.
Per NSW police, the Kogarah man was taken to Newtown Police Station and charged with malicious damage, possession of a prohibited drug, and two conviction warrants.
He is due to appear in Newtown local court earlier today, but it remains unclear whether he is connected to the earlier incident of malicious damage that saw the restaurant’s windows smashed.
This is a result for Hachem, who yesterday told us that he has been frustrated about the inability of local police to act:
“We’ve reported these incidents a couple of times to Newtown Police Station, but they never did anything, maybe they can’t. I feel like the police can’t protect you.”
Hachem remains defiant and says he will stay in his beloved Newtown, but in a statement on Facebook earlier today, lamented the fact that the attacks on Arabella have not yet received wide TV coverage:
“Another attack at Arabella restaurant last night [happened], guys we need [your] support I am not going to move out off the area I love Newtown. [I am] staying here I appreciate all your calls and the support from all around the world, one thing disappointed me [is] the tv not mentioning what’s happening!!!!!!”
Image via Moey Hachem / Facebook
