French tourists told to speak English or die on Australian bus

A group of French backpackers were told to “speak English or die” when they started singing in their native language on a bus in Melbourne, Australia. A video of the abuse posted on YouTube has been viewed by thousands of people.

YouTube/Screen capture

Passengers, some of whom had been drinking, turned on the girls when they began singing in French.

“Speak English or die, motherfucker,” one of them yelled at one of the Frenchwomen, adding “everyone on the bus wants to kill you” and threatening to “cut the bitch’s tits off”.

Others joined in, one telling her to “get off the bus” and threatening to “boxcutter” her and breaking one of the bus's windows after alighting.

Comedian Mike Nayna, who took and posted the video, told media that the abuse took a racial turn with three passengers, including one man who can be seen in the video, calling for the “black people” to be thrown off the bus.

“I’m brown, so he clocked me and the others on the bus and he started going on a rant about he hated black people,” Mr Nayna he told SBS News.

The bus was replacing trains that had been interrupted and were taking beachgoers into Melbourne and Nayna said that many of the passengers were tired and frustrated and some were drunk.

Australian police are investigating the case.