'You’ll never be Welsh, you will go home one day' S4C presenter calls for stricter racism laws

• Video report by ITV Wales reporter Nest Jenkins

S4C presenter Ameer Davies-Rana is calling for stricter laws following racial abuse he faced online during the Eisteddfod this year. 

Ameer received a number of abusive responses to a picture he posted of himself alongside rappers Sage Todz and Lloyd Lewis enjoying the festival, with the caption ‘Dyfodol y Gymraeg’ translating to ‘The future of the Welsh language’. 

“The first thing I saw was ‘Where the Welsh people at’. Then one person answering that person: ‘You’ll never be Welsh, you will go home one day.’ 

"‘Go back to where you belong, you dirty subhumans. Within the decade, you people will be crying to go home shortly before a bullet enters your skulls. At least you won’t have to live with the fact that you made the wrong decision.’

“You kind of expect it in English, but one person said in Welsh: ‘The only Welsh people in this picture are the ones in the background, that’s the truth.’”

According to Ameer, who is presenting a special programme of Y Byd ar Bedwar this Hate Crime Awareness Week, stricter penalties need to be given to those that racially abuse others online. 

“These people hide behind a screen and say negative, cruel things just to try and upset someone. How can you say things like that and get away with it? I’ll never understand that. That has to change,” Ameer said.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “Our new Online Safety Bill will introduce a new criminal offence for threatening communications so police and prosecutors have greater powers to bring cowardly offenders to justice.”

Another who’s experienced racism recently is Naveena Mosabbir from Aberteifi. Naveena is daughter to two parents from Bangladesh that came to Wales in the 1990s. 

“I was out on Boxing Night in Newtown…there was a lot of arguing going on in the club. I saw the problems and tried to separate everyone. During the argument, someone shouted P***. That really hit me."

But after Naveena went outside the nightclub, the attack turned physical. 

“A man just ran at me and attacked me. I didn’t know who he was.” 

According to Naveena, the man and his partner were shouting racist remarks at her before and after the attacks. 

Naveena suffered serious injury to her ribs. 

“I was three weeks without work because of the pain. The pain was unbearable”. 

Naveena says the man who attacked her only received a warning because there was no sound on the CCTV. But for Naveena, there was more disappointment to come.  

“Six months after this incident I was out with friends again", she said.

"We were dancing and having a great night. Then a girl, in Newtown again, just ran at me and attacked me. She hit me on the side of the head and pulled my hair. It was mental that this was happening again."

The woman who attacked Naveena pleaded guilty to a racial assault and harassment. The court heard that she was screaming at Naveena telling her to ‘go back to her own country’. 

She received an 11 month prison sentence that was, suspended for eighteen months. But Naveena wasn't happy when she heard what the punishment was.

“My voice hasn’t been heard. Why? It’s not fair. 

“If there were more brown people in the courts, maybe there would be more sympathy. Because if you haven’t been through the experience, you won’t understand how it feels.” 

According to the Ministry of Justice, they are continuing to try and put a stop to racial abuse within society, and recent figures across England and Wales show a reduction in this type of crime. 

There has been an increase in the number of racial and religious based crimes that have been reported to the Police in Wales over the last five years.

Since the summer of 2023, the Race Council Wales have been working with the police to create a safe space for people that have been racially abused to be able to report the crime to the police. 

According to Ifeoluwa Ishola who works for the charity: “People of minority ethnicities don’t not want to report crimes. But maybe they don’t know the right place to go or the right person to meet. So having a partnership with South Wales Police makes it easier to get the word out. 

Hate crimes are divided into categories: race, religion, disability, transgender and sexual orientation. Last year, two out of every three hate crimes in Wales were to do with race or religion. 

Constable Paul Smith, Hate Crime Officer, visits Race Council Wales weekly. He said:“There is support by myself and members of the hate crime team. And from the community police teams where the victims live.

"We also offer to refer each victim of hate crime to Hate Wales support centre, that’s part of the support for victims that offer purposeful support for the individual.” 

Watch Y Byd ar Bedwar: Monday, 8pm S4C

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