Police have moved to quash rumours that a “group of Sudanese men” attacked shoppers at a Melton carpark last Thursday.
Dozens of people shared a Facebook post about the incident, inciting violence against minority groups.
While two men were fighting in a car at Woodgrove Shopping Centre about noon on Thursday, February 9, police have denied any groups were involved and the two men were known to each other.
The fight spilled into the carpark. One man returned to the car and fled, while the other received minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics.
Police said both men were of Caucasian appearance.
However, following the incident, one social media user posted on Facebook that a man “was pulled from his car and was attacked and had his car stolen by a group of Sudanese thugs”.
The post alleged that one man was slashed with possibly a box cutter and ” then they all jumped and gave him a flogging”.
The posts have since been deleted, but many others have alleged another fight broke out between “Sudanese youths” at the same shopping centre later that day.
A Victoria Police spokesman and Melton police sergeant have both denied these allegations.
