Racially aggravated rapes and attacks in Midlands

[ArabellaSaurus]

Disturbing news.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czxkw014rg9o

'...several Asian women in the West Midlands [...] tell the BBC they're now constantly looking over their shoulder. ...
That's because within the space of two months and taking place only 10 miles (16km) apart, police have received reports of two racially aggravated rapes.
Early on 9 September, a Sikh woman in her 20s was raped on Tame Road in Oldbury.
And on the evening of 25 October in the Park Hall area of Walsall, another Sikh woman who is also in her 20s was raped. A 32-year-old man named John Ashby has been charged.
In both cases perpetrators were unknown to their victims.
Another woman was assaulted with an electrical stun device in Wolverhampton on 27 October in what police said was a racially aggravated physical - but not sexual - assault.'

As an Asian woman with a young DD, this terrifies me. Feel safe enough in London, but wary outside it.

So scary. Outrageous!

Such a polarised world and it's always women who bear the brunt. A tale as old as time. 😪
I know that's not very original.

This is absolutely awful, and unfortunately I think is the start of something very nasty.

The whole country is on the tipping point of blowing up from all sides and will end up pitted against each other. I think it’s only a matter of time unfortunately before we see more violence from extreme white groups against minorities.

The government need to get a grip of things and bring the temperature down before things get further out of hand.

This is absolutely horrific. I’m so concerned about what may happen over the next few years

Well, unfortunately it's a well worn trueism because it's true.

Agree, although I'll point out the violence is not restricted to white groups.

There are various factions and fractures as well as racial ones. The establishment trying to deny or minimise issues is only fuelling the fires.

I have been wondering without in any way minimising the horror and fear this brings, whether this is about a new way of reporting crimes.

ie in the past there would be a report of rape, but no mention of whether racism was part of the crime.

It should definitely be acknowledged if racism was a factor in an act of sexual violence, but in then publishing news stories with this as part of the headline can increase fear, worry, etc..

It seems that even in the statistics published** they dont record this.

So no way of knowing it is is an increase.

But I certainly feel the use of racist language and hate speech from some sections of UK society has allowed some people who might not have been public about their attitudes, fell they can now say and act on it.

** Someone made an FOI request https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/sexualviolenceintheukbyethnicity

I think there's a difficult tension in the reporting of certain types of violent crime and I'm not sure how it ought to be balanced. On the one hand the unbiased reporting of information is vital for a democratic country (not that many of our media sources actually manage to be unbiased often) and the data ought to be used by the police; on the other hand sometimes the style of reporting certain crimes seems to play into the desires of the violent perpetrators themselves. This is especially apparent where motives get extensive coverage, therefore fulfilling the aim of the violent man in the first place: to strike terror into, punish and inhibit the lives of the target group.

Racists, incels, religious fundamentalists etc do we actually want to help them spread their hate further? I wish simply "rapist" and "murderer" were sufficient AND that they were treated as the catastrophic crimes they actually are.

After reading all the disgusting Huntingdon threads, I find it fascinating that there is just one thread with only 9 replies about this rape attack - which was reported in the news a week ago. So so fascinating.

Those poor women. Dreadful attacks.

This is the first I have read of this awful development.

But a few years ago when I was still at work, my young hijab wearing colleague described to me how she had tins of drink thrown at her out of cars when walking along the road.
She also put me right about taking the bus home, as South Asians are often attacked or harassed on the bus, and you can't run away.

This is in a town where there is a large, long established South Asian population, second and third generation at least, where the majority would have been at school with these racists, interacting with them daily, being just kids together... I just don't get some people.

There was at least one other thread about the initial attack, on the Sikh women, when it happened.

You might want to compare the amount of media coverage between that initial attack and the Huntingdon attack, too.

Well, yes, racism is nothing new. I nearly had my head kicked in for shouting at a man, who was shouting abuse at a woman in a headscarf, in Glasgow about thirty years ago.

Thankfully, pricks like him are generally in the minority, but as we see with Sudan, etc, men often express their racism/violence by abusing women.

No, sadly it isn't new.
I was just surprised and disappointed that some of them turn so quickly even on people they know quite well from childhood.

Until the alleged perpetrator can be construed as being trans or having cast aspersions on the prophet (peace be upon her), there will be scant interest.

It feels like things are so much worse than 20/30 years ago. I can’t work out if that’s true or if the reporting and social media just draw our attention to it more. I feel safe where I live but I turn on the news and it makes me fearful to go anywhere. Why do women always have to bear the brunt of extremist male behaviour.

Show a bit of respect for the women whose safety is at risk who are being discussed on the thread, and keep your snide remarks to yourself. Thanks.

Yes, I think this is the key. The attacks on these women are abhorrent. They may suffer additionally because of religious beliefs and the government is really not helping by trying to ‘manage narrative’ and shut down conversation on the whole topic of fragmentation of our society.

I also note with sadness that the racially motivated attacks on white girls in Rotherham, Oxford, Bradford etc etc were not acknowledged as such, with the girls being silenced and accused of racism by the authorities.

These double standards or even perceived double standards are adding fuel to the fire.

I think the difference is that people on the Huntingdon thread were squabbling about it. What happened, who, why, and the implications for society, were all being contested.

With this topic here, unless the feminist board gets invaded by racist male chauvinists, it is unlikely that anyone would feel that these attacks are anything but abominable; and the motives are pretty obvious.

So unless one has a constructive proposal on how to stop the attacks or give real, rather than merely performative support to the victims - what can one do but agree with everyone else to show you agree? - which is more about you looking good than any useful contribution to the situation.

It's not just up to the government to try and reduce the temperature or reduce division it's for all of us. So if a colleague is nervous accompany them or give them a lift home when you can. If someone is having drink thrown at them and you see it give the occupants of the car your opinion of them. Dont call them racist, they wont care so call them something like worthless twats or stupid fuckers. Alternative insult suggestions welcomed.

It also means when the performative virtue signalling are raising the temperature by spreading misinformation you counteract that misinformation.

The one man charged to date is described as of "no fixed address". I've seen that before and wonder just how common it is in this type of crime.

I dont know what else we can do.

If someone is having drink thrown at them and you see it give the occupants of the car your opinion of them. Dont call them racist, they wont care so call them something like worthless twats or stupid fuckers. Alternative insult suggestions welcomed.

I understand the anger, but I think the best course of action here is to show empathy/solidarity with the victim, rather than taking on the attacker. That could end up just escalating the situation, and tbh if you're a woman, riling up a violent/racist/agressive man is not a good idea.

I dont know what else we can do.

Yes, it's difficult, isn't it?

Talk about it and be accused of performative support. Say nothing and be accused of not caring.

My general approach is to listen, seek data/evidence, and take the steps that I'm able to, even if they are very small and even if they will inevitably get tutted at or sneered at.

And continue to attempt discourse as best as one can, in good faith as much as is possible.

It's not just up to the government to try and reduce the temperature or reduce division it's for all of us.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.

Did you do an analysis of the number of threads on the pakistani grooming and rape gangs which have tens of thousands of child victims over many decades?

What one will notice about the abhorrent recent wave of targetted rapes is that the perps will be found and jailed quickly with no one making excuses for them.