Indian-origin BBC journalist faces racist abuse in UK

Sima

Source: Twitter

Sima Kotecha, an Indian-origin BBC reporter faced racist abuse on the streets of her hometown in southern England while she was reporting on Brexit vote.

She was reporting on the aftermath of the June 23 referendum from the town of Basingstoke when she heard someone saying "Paki", a racist term used for South Asian origin migrants in the UK.

"In utter shock: just been called 'p..i' in my home town! Haven't heard that word here since the 80s," she later tweeted.
She has received several messages of support since then.

The incident reflects a latest spike in racist incidents around the UK since the country voted for Brexit last week.

The decision to leave the European Union (EU) has led to an estimated 57 per cent increase in reported racist incidents between Thursday and Sunday, compared with the same days four weeks earlier, the UK's National Police Chiefs' Council said.

Police officers were today also investigating a possible racist attack on a Muslim butcher's shop in the West Midlands region of England.

A worker from the Kashmir Meat and Poultry shop in Walsall was injured when a suspect walked in and hurled a bottle filled with accelerant liquid.

It left the man bruised and the shop badly fire damaged. While West Midlands Police said the motive was "unclear" at the moment, "one of our lines of investigation is to determine if this is a racially-motivated assault".




 


Share
2 min read

Published

By SBS Punjabi
Source: PTI

Share this with family and friends


Follow SBS Punjabi

Download our apps
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Punjabi-speaking Australians.
Understand the quirky parts of Aussie life.
Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
Punjabi News

Punjabi News

Watch in onDemand