Muslim woman called 'p***' while taking 'peace offering' to Birmingham pub hit by violence

Two women tell ITV News Central's Lewis Warner about abuse they have received since the Southport attacks.

A Muslim woman has said she was called a "p***" while taking flowers as a "peace offering" to a Birmingham pub hit by violence.

The 36-year-old, from Yardley, who we've chosen to call Kiran to protect her identity, said she wanted "to let people know that we're not a part of what happened but we want peace."

Windows were smashed at The Clumsy Swan in Stoney Lane, Yardley, on Monday 5 August, with several people later arrested.

Hundreds of people had gathered in the area following false reports that far-right protesters planned to march.

Speaking exclusively to ITV News Central Kiran said: "It was more of a peace offering because we live there.

"I left flowers and a box of chocolates at the pub, everybody seemed friendly."

She said people in the pub told her what happened the night before was not her fault and that they appreciated her kindness.

Outside the pub, Kiran says she saw a white man with two younger boys.

She continued: "As soon as my eyes contacted theirs, I sensed the fear straight away. I knew then something wasn't right. I put my phone in my pocket and put my keys away.

"As I walked past all I could hear was him call me a P***. I was taken back, I thought has he just called me a P***? I've never had anyone call me that.

"You could tell he was angry from the look on his face. You could tell from the look on his face that whatever happened the night before was still brewing inside him.

"I could hear the kids laughing. That was quite intimidating. Especially being a 36-year-old woman feeling intimated by children."

'I've had stones thrown at my car'

Another woman, who we have called Ayesha to protect her identity, recorded racial abuse she received on her phone as she visited her sister's house with her 6-year-old disabled daughter.

The abuse came from a neighbour because of where they had parked.

She told ITV News Central: "It was after Southport, unfortunately. So it's quite sad because my children can't go out of the house.

"Before, if my children wanted to go out for anything, there was no issue. We could get in the car and we would drive and we'd go wherever my kids wanted to go.

"But now I don't feel safe. And that hinges around Southport. I've had stones thrown at my car while it's parked there and I've had people coming on bikes to intimidate me. I've been sworn at on my own doorstep."

Ayesha recorded the abuse she received on her mobile phone

West Midlands Police said it has seen a "slight rise" in the reporting of hate crime that’s been generated online.

Superintendent Wayne Carter, the force's lead for Hate Crime, said: "Hate has no place in the West Midlands and we will investigate all reported crimes where people are targeted just because of who they are.

"Policing takes all reports of hate crime seriously, because we know that they have a devastating impact on not only individual victims but also targeted communities."While we’d prefer victims to come to us directly, experience tells us that for a variety of reasons, some people do not want to speak with officers preferring to report crimes anonymously or not at all."If you have been a victim of hate crime or witnessed an incident, you can report this in many ways. You can contact us online, by phone or at a network of third party reporting centres across the West Midlands. These are places within the community where you can report a hate crime."

The woman said she reported the incident to the police and was told they were investigating.

'Hate has no place in the West Midlands'

Research by the polling group Muslim Census, conducted on the same day of the incident, found that of 1,519 Muslims polled, 30% had experienced an Islamophobic or Racist incident in the past week.

1 in 6 said they had personally experienced an Islamophobic or Racist incident in the past week.

CEO of Muslim Census Sadiq Dorasat said: "We found 92% of Muslims from our sample felt a rise in the fear of safety, whether that be feeling much less safe or slightly less safe following the initial riot.

"Muslims felt like this wasn't an isolated incident. 93% of Muslims felt that Islamophobia has been rising over the past five years.

"I think the most important thing to mention is the personal experience. Over the past year, one in two Muslims have experienced themselves personally a racist or Islamophobic incident."

Help and support

If you or someone you know has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, you can get help from hate crime support services.

You can get help from Victim Support - this is an independent charity that can:

• listen to you and give you emotional support

• give you practical help - for example, if you need to repair damage caused by a hate crime or move house if you’re being harassed

• help you deal with the legal system - for example, if you’re going to court

Get support from Victim Support on their website.

You can also report it to the police.

If you want to report the crime or incident to the police, it’s a good idea to contact a hate crime support service first. They can help you work out what to say in your report.

Check how to report a hate crime to the police.

If you don’t want to talk to the police, you can ask an independent organisation to report it for you anonymously. These organisations are called ‘third party reporting centres’.

In an emergency, you should call 999.

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