A woman was raped in Walsall in what police are calling a racially aggravated attack. On 26 October, West Midlands police released CCTV footage of the suspect.
Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer said it was “an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman.” He added:
While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it’s vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time.
In September, a man and woman were arrested in connection with a rape in neighbouring Sandwell. Police have previously also described that attack, on a Sikh woman, as a racially motivated.
As the Canary reported at the time, the Sikh Federation (UK) said that as she was raped, the attackers told the woman:
You don’t belong in this country, get out.
‘Not linked to previous attack’
The BBC said they were “not linking” the latest attack to “other offences”.
Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill expressed shock at the news:
Deeply shocked and saddened that we are hearing of yet another racially aggravated rape this time in Walsall.
West Midlands Police have reported a rape and assault of a young woman in her 20s in the Park Hall area, described as racially aggravated. https://t.co/4ynPRGYc2c
— Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) October 26, 2025
Journalist Murtaza Ali Shah said on X that “these are not isolated events”.
They show how racism is being fuelled by hate and the growing influence of fascism.
A Punjabi Sikh woman was raped in Walsall just weeks after a Sikh woman was raped in Oldbury.
These are not isolated events. They show how racism is being fuelled by hate and the growing influence of fascism.
West Midlands Police have released a video appealing for information… pic.twitter.com/QzbdMigU2M
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) October 27, 2025
Ch Supt Phil Dolby of Walsall Police said:
Walsall is a diverse area, and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities.
Commenting on the previous attack, our own Maryam Jameela wrote:
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/Asim Rehman
By Joe Glenton
This post was originally published on Canary.