Student films 20-minute long 'traumatic racist abuse' on train journey
Police are investigating claims a student was subjected to racial slurs as she sat on a train.
Rosedona Williams filmed the group of white men who also appeared to mock the Black Lives Matter symbol and refer to other BAME passengers as "dogs" and "mutts".
The third-year microbiology student shared footage on Facebook, saying it shows a white man allegedly racially abusing her and other black and Asian people on the train and referred to the incident as “truly traumatising”.
British Transport Police are investigating the allegations.
Williams claims the abuse lasted the entire journey from Borth until Aberystwyth, which takes around 20 minutes, and she filmed around a minute of it on her phone.
She said it was the second time in her six years in Aberystwyth she has been “subjected to verbal racial harassment and abuse” but added that she has “never experienced blatant racism to this extent” before.
She wrote on Facebook: “This experience was truly traumatising and has left an emotional scar, but I know I will eventually be OK.”
Williams was already on the train when a group boarded.
She said: “The older guy in the blue shirt... initially stopped when he got on the train, where I sat, and said ‘hello sister’ and raised his hand in the air.
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“He then started chanting loudly ‘there’s a dog on the train’ and his friends joined in.
“Then he saw that there was another black guy at the front of the train and said to his friend ‘oh actually there are two dogs on the train’ and changed his chant to ‘there are two dogs on the train’."
Williams claims one member of the group also allegedly performed Nazi salutes in her direction.
“He then saw that there were three Asian people on the train and told his friend ‘aye there are three mutts as well’ and started chanting ‘there are three mutts and two dogs on the train’," she wrote.
British Transport Police are investigating the incident, and have informed Williams that they have identified the man who instigated the abuse.
She said: “I truly hope that they will all be held fully accountable by the law in due time for their vile racist actions. No human being, no matter the colour of their skin, should ever be subjected to such vile racial verbal abuse, it is humiliating."
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A spokesperson said in a statement: “BTP is investigating a report of a racist incident that occurred on Sunday, 30 May, on board a train between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.
“Enquiries are ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 629 of 30/05/21."
Transport for Wales said they "utterly condemn this abhorrent behaviour and are treating this report very seriously".
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