• A Muslim mother was spat at and racially abused in an Islamophobic attack while shopping with her ten-month-old baby at a retail park in Walsall.
• The victim says the unprovoked assault has left her fearful to go out alone and highlights what she believes is a rise in Islamophobia across the West Midlands.
A Muslim mother was racially abused and spat at while shopping with her ten-month-old baby in a deplorable anti-Muslim attack in Walsall.
The woman was walking towards a shop at a retail park near Bescot Crescent when she was approached by a man. She says he made a noise, spat at her, his saliva landing on her coat, and then shouted a racial slur.
The mother says she was left frozen in fear, calling the abuse “completely unprovoked” and “terrifying.”
Speaking about the incident, which happened on Monday, October 27, she said:
“I went to Bescot Retail Park with my 10-month-old baby this morning.
As it’s usually busy during the holidays, I felt it was safe for me and my daughter to go alone, as we often do.
As I came out of one shop and headed to another, I saw a tall white man walking towards us. I thought nothing of it.
When he got closer, I noticed he was staring straight at us. Then he made a noise, spat at me, it hit my coat.
I was in shock. It was completely unprovoked, and I had my baby with me in the pushchair. At first, I thought it must’ve been an accident. Then he called me a dirty ****. I froze. He just kept walking, like nothing had happened.”
She said the incident has left her deeply shaken and fearful of going out alone.
“It was Islamophobic and racist. I was scared he might turn back, so I went straight to my car.
I don’t feel safe anymore. I was born and raised in Walsall, and my parents are British too, so hearing that kind of abuse here is heartbreaking.
Sadly, Islamophobia is getting worse across the West Midlands. As a Muslim woman, I no longer feel safe in my own community.”
West Midlands Police confirmed they are investigating.
A spokesperson said:
“We have received a report of a woman being racially abused in Walsall and are carrying out further enquiries to establish the full circumstances of what happened.”
