A Sikh woman in her 20s was raped on 9 September in Oldbury. West Midlands Police have said they are treating the attack as “racially aggravated.”
The Sikh Federation (UK) said that as she was raped, the attackers told the woman:
You don’t belong in this country, get out.
Dabinderjit Singh, of the Sikh Federation (UK), said:
The current racist political environment is driven by popularism and created by politicians playing the anti-immigration card who are unashamedly exploiting those with right-wing and racist views.
The rape of a Sikh woman was a hate crime
Since the attack, police have arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of rape. Initially, the police had said they were looking for two attackers. The investigation remains ongoing. The survivor of the attack has released a statement via Sikh Youth UK:
We are going through a lot, but the strength and kindness shown by the right people in the community has been incredible and I can’t thank them enough for being my voice.
I would never wish this on anyone. All I was doing was going about my day on my way to work, and what has happened has deeply affected us.
She continued:
There has been so much love and support, and I am truly humbled. I want to personally thank my family, Sikh Youth UK who have been so supportive, the local Gurdwara committees and Sikh orgs, and everyone in my community who has stood by me.
I cannot thank you enough for helping me get through this difficult time.
Hundreds of people have gathered after the attack to show solidarity with the victim and protest sexual violence. One such person, Kuldeep Singh Deol said:
This attack on our sister is shameful. Our daughters, sisters, and mothers deserve to be safe, regardless of colour or which faith they belong to.
Girls and women, especially, should feel safe in our society. Our politicians are failing us – creating divides instead of building bridges and solutions.
Local politicians must step up and do more to protect and unite our communities.
Another demonstrator said:
This was a vile act of racial hatred and sexual violence…We have as much right to this country, and its symbols, as anyone else. We will not tolerate extremism in its name.
Jas Athwal, MP for Ilford South, said:
Let’s be clear, this attack is a result of the rising racial tensions in our country and now, a young woman has been left traumatised for life.
This attack demonstrates the deeply tragic and violent consequences of allowing this rhetoric to seep into mainstream dialogue.
It ends in brown and black people being verbally attacked, physically assaulted or in this case sexually assaulted – a crime rooted in misogyny and the assertion of power.
Sexual violence as coercive control
Undoubtedly, the racist rapists who carried out this brutal attack have been influenced by the abhorrent rise of racist rhetoric. It might be easy to scoff at dickheads painting England flags on roundabouts, but it’s exactly the type of racism that leads to further physical and sexual violence. Every time Keir Starmer indulges in far-right rhetoric about stopping the boats, he furthers the cause of racist anti-immigrant hysteria. When mainstream media gives disproportionate air time to notorious racist Nigel Farage, they make it acceptable to have such disgusting views.
The collective racial literacy in England is so small-minded and regressive that it isn’t even a given that we can all agree British colonialism terrorised the world. And, that’s to say nothing of the fact of modern-day British colonialism. Why else would over 100,000 people attend fascist chancer Tommy Robinson’s rally over the weekend? The march was never about bringing people together – it was about reminding everyone that the England flag and the Union Jack are symbols of racism.
The attackers of the Sikh woman who was raped will undoubtedly have been emboldened by how normalised violent racism has become in this country. The attack was a horrific and repugnant act of violence. To rape someone whilst telling them to get out of your country? What a hateful thing to do. But, it was done with the normalisation of racism from politicians and the mainstream media on the backs of the attackers.
Featured image via Unsplash/Jamie Street
This post was originally published on Canary.