Police have formally laid a charge against a Rangiora woman caught up in allegations of racism after an altercation with two Muslim women who lost family members and friends in the Christchurch terror attack.
The 68-year-old has been charged with using insulting words against Janna Ezat and Aya Al-Umari, namely saying "don’t worry, it won’t be long before they leave our country", then questioning if they were "born and bred" in New Zealand.
The family, who lost son and brother Hussein Al-Umari in Al Noor Mosque, had been shopping at a Farmers in Rangiora in late December when the altercation took place.
Police allege the woman, who has no listed occupation, made the comments in a public place while being "reckless whether any person was alarmed or insulted by those words".
The charge was laid under the Summary Offences Act 1981 and carries a maximum penalty of a fine of $1000.
She will appear in court at the end of the month.
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