THE mother of a three-year-old Aboriginal girl who was racially attacked at a Melbourne shopping centre says she is overwhelmed with the outpouring of public support she’s received.

Rachel Muir took her daughter Samara to a Disney-themed event at Watergardens shopping centre in Taylor Lakes last month.

Dressed as Elsa from the hit animated film Frozen, Samara was waiting in line for the snow pit when another woman and her two daughters started throwing racial slurs.

“The lady in front of us turned around to Samara and said ‘I don’t know why you’re dressed up for because Queen Elsa isn’t black’,” Ms Muir, from Ballarat, told The Courier.

“I asked the woman what she meant by the comment and then one of the woman’s young daughters screwed up her face, she pointed at Samara and said ‘you’re black and black is ugly’.”

Ms Muir said Samara burst into tears and covered her face.

“I looked around the line and there were little girls of all different races lining up dressed as their favourite Disney characters,” she said.

“We were in Melbourne, one of the most multicultural places in the world. I couldn’t believe it.”

In a Facebook post which has now been shared thousands of times, Ms Muir vented her frustration.

“My daughter was in tears when we were at Watergardens for the Frozen activities as a mother & her 2 daughters told my daughter don’t know why you dressed up for coz Anna & Elisa aren’t Black & Black is ugly & your [sic] Black,” she wrote.

“Not nice. Still Racism is alive & well in the next generation.”

The incident made Samara feel ashamed about her skin colour and reluctant to attend her weekly Aboriginal dance class.

“When I asked why she didn’t want to go, she pointed at the skin on her arm and asked why she was black,” Ms Muir said.

“I told her ‘because God gave you that skin colour, because you’re a proud blackfella like mum’.”

Since speaking to the media, Samara and Rachel have received hundreds of messages of support online. Samara has been invited to perform in the Disney on Ice Dare to Dream show and indigenous rapper Adam Briggs has invited her to star in his new music video — she will play a young Cathy Freeman.

“We are very overwhelmed and shocked by the kindness of people. I didn’t think people would care so much,” Ms Muir told The Courier.

“I can’t express how much it has meant to us. I just thought it would be a story people would click past and forget. To know that she has touched so many people … that they see her how I see her, is just incredible.”

Ms Muir said she reads all the messages to her daughter.

“After every message Samara smiles and says ‘thankyou your majesty’,” Ms Muir said.

“She is back to her proud, beautiful Aboriginal self.”