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A British-born Sikh woman in her 20s was raped and assaulted in broad daylight in England’s West Midlands county earlier this week, an incident the West Midlands Police said they were investigating as “a racially motivated hate crime”.
The September 9 attack near Tame Road in Oldbury has sent shockwaves through the community and drawn condemnation from Sikh organisations, highlighting fears of rising racial tensions in the region.
According to the West Midlands Police, the woman was approached around 8.30 am by two white men while walking through a park. They said the assailants raped the woman and beat her up while hurling racist abuse, including telling her “You don’t belong in this country” and “Go back to your country.”
The victim, described as a British citizen of Indian origin, reported the attack soon after, prompting a swift police response.
Officers have released details of one suspect, believed to be in his 30s, with a shaved head, wearing a grey hoodie, black tracksuit bottoms, trainers and gloves. The second suspect’s description is less detailed, but police have urged residents with CCTV, dashcam, or doorbell footage to share it.
No arrests have yet been made.
“We’re investigating after a woman reported to us that she had been raped in Oldbury in what we are treating as a racially aggravated attack,” West Midlands Police said in a statement. Police have deployed extra patrols in Oldbury to reassure residents of their safety.
Community leaders and anti-racism groups like Stand Up To Racism have rallied in support of the woman.
Jas Singh of the Sikh Federation (UK) shared a statement from the woman on Facebook : “I would never wish this on anyone. I was simply on my way to work when this happened. My family and community have been my rock. I hope the men responsible are caught so no one else suffers like this.”
Dabinderjit Singh, lead executive of the Sikh Federation UK, told The Indian Express that xenophobia was normalised after Britain’s decision to leave the EU. “In May this year, our Prime Minister called Britain an island of foreigners, a remark he later regretted. Ironically, this rape has taken place in the constituency of a Sikh MP who had then said he was fine with that statement.”
Oldbury falls under UK’s Smethwick parliamentary constituency, which is represented by MP Gurinder Singh Josan. Josan said the “truly horrific attack” had left the woman traumatised and appealed for anyone with information to assist the police in investigating the “hate crime”, news agency PTI reported.
“I am reassured Sandwell police are doing everything they possibly can to find the perpetrators. The incident is being treated as a hate crime. The police are working extremely sympathetically with the victim at her pace who has been traumatised by the attack,” Josan said.
Narinder Kaur, a presenter on Good Morning Britain, also blamed politicians. In a post on X, she wrote: “Politicians + media who platform this poison are complicit. You cannot feed the beast of racism daily and then feign shock when something happens on your side and SILENCE when a brown person is attacked.”
On Saturday, nearly 100,000 people joined far-right activist Tommy Robinson in the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ anti-immigration rally in London.
Kamal Preet Kaur, Councillor, London Borough of Hillingdon, where anti-immigration demonstrations were held Saturday around hotels near Heathrow airport, told The Indian Express that the Oldbury incident has come as a shock to the community.
“We pride ourselves on being an integral part of the British fabric, having contributed in all spheres of life. I have been contacted by many worried constituents and community members, especially women. I encourage all those affected to report any incidents of race or hate crimes to the police.”
Singh said racism was on the rise as was evident from the attack on two elderly Sikh drivers last month. “Some of our community members report about facing verbal abuse when they go to parks.”
Like the Unite the Kingdom rally on Saturday, Britain has seen 100 to 120 anti-immigration rallies at 60 places since July 13 when the first such demonstration was triggered by the arrest of an Ethiopian asylum seeker for sexual assaults at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Oldsbury, too, has seen rallies outside the Ibis hotel where immigrants are housed.
But Dabinderjit Singh of the Sikh Federation UK said even far-right activist Tommy Robinson condemned the Oldbury attackers as “scum.” “I hope they now realise that the terrible hatred they unleashed against foreigners is spiralling out of control,” he said.
With PTI inputs
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