The Bucks Free Press reported that 22-year-old Nicole Kupaza was guilty of one count of racially aggravated assault after the jury rejected her claim of self-defence.

An earlier report stated that the assault occurred on Christmas Eve at Tiplow train station last year.

The prosecution outlined how Ms Kupaza had approached the taxi office operated by Mohammed Malik and had requested that she wait outside so he could speak with another customer, as she lacked any financial means to book a taxi.

For the prosecution, they described how Ms Kupaza, having assaulted Mr Malik, had also shouted, “Go back to Pakistan,” and similar abusive statements.

Nicole Kupaza, whilst accepting she did assault them, had told police she had acted in self-defence and faced racist abuse in trial coverage published on June 22.

The Law Pages court listings website detailed that the prosecution had made their closing arguments the following day on June 23.

More broadly, Tell MAMA provides taxi drivers and taxi firms with tailored support and advice via our Safety, Security & Beyond scheme, which sits within the existing support structures of our service.

Kupaza will re-appear at Reading Crown Court for sentencing on July 27.

Are you a taxi driver or taxi firm interested in our support scheme? Please email info@tellmamauk.org to register interest and for further information.

Read more: Muslim children in tears as moped driver smashes the rear windscreen of their family car

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Manchester Evening News reported that 30-year-old David Platt was found guilty in under two hours at Manchester Crown Court.

Platt subjected taxi driver Mohammed Zubair to a torrent of racist abuse, including calling him the P-word and mocking the traditional clothing Mr Zubair wore to celebrate Eid with his family before collecting Platt and his girlfriend.

Platt called him a “P*** b******” and a “scruffy c***”.

The violence of the punch delivered to Mr Zubair left him with a fractured cheekbone and an injury to his eyelid, which required hospitalisation.

Having exited his vehicle, David Platt threatened him with further violence.

The Manchester Evening News report also disclosed that Platt had lied to the police during his initial interview, falsely claiming that he assaulted Mr Zubair because he caught him “masturbating”.

The racist assault caused great shock and distress to Mr Zubair.

Tell MAMA continues to provide taxi drivers and firms with a tailored programme within our existing support structures, the Safety, Security & Beyond scheme.

With Hate Crime Awareness Week upon us, we remind Muslim and other minoritised groups about the free guide “Hate Crime: a guide for those affected”, written in partnership with the Community Security Trust and the Crown Prosecution Service, which is free to download here.

#HateCrimeAwarenessWeek: in partnership with the @CST_UK and the @CPSUK, this accessible guide is there to help those who experience hate crime understand their rights, what support is available, and how to navigate the criminal justice system.

https://t.co/JXsDJMpg73 #nhcaw pic.twitter.com/9Q39uwy8aJ

— Tell MAMA UK (@TellMamaUK) October 12, 2022

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19-year-old Evan Wright pleaded guilty at Chester Magistrates Court earlier this week, according to the Chester Standard.

The Chester Standard further reported that taxi driver Tahir Majeed had politely informed a group of seven, including Evan Wright, on February 5 that his vehicle could not hold more than five people. Jacob Sutton began kicking his taxi, causing damage to the wing mirror and side exterior, as Wright joined in.

Fearing for his safety, Majeed called the police and, upon assessing damage to his vehicle, was called “dirty”, a “paedophile”, and a “P***”.

Following his arrest, Wright apologised and, according to the news report, avoided prison due to his previous good character and finding employment.

The compensation to Tahir Majeed totals £850, as the suspended sentence carries the risk of a custodial outcome if Evan Wright commits any further offences.

Days earlier, Tell MAMA highlighted the worrying trend of racist violence and harassment towards taxi drivers in areas like Derby and beyond, reinforcing the importance of support schemes like our Safety, Security & Beyond in helping drivers report anti-Muslim and Islamophobic hate crimes.

The broad racialised, stigmatising targeting of Muslim men as paedophiles is an issue we’ve highlighted in case studies on our website. From graffiti, far-right campaigns, verbal abuse and even attempted violence to deeper analysis in some of our annual reports.

Are you a taxi driver or taxi firm interested in our support scheme? Please email info@tellmamauk.org to register your interest and for further information.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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Speaking to Tell MAMA, the driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, described how the customer had pre-booked for the afternoon of the previous weekend, and smelt alcohol on her breath before the journey began.

During the short journey, he described how she made belligerent and inchoate remarks about the horrific and terroristic beheading of Samuel Paty, who taught history and geography at the Collège du Bois d’Aulne, in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, France, on October 16.

She then said to the taxi driver, “Are you going to do that to me?” to which the driver did not respond, and at that moment, she made more disparaging and harmful remarks about the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran, which caused the Muslim man distress, but as before, he did his best to ignore her.

After arriving at their destination, the racist female passenger left the taxi without paying the £6.80 fare.

The local taxi firm has now banned the woman, whom they describe as being white, and in her mid-to-late twenties.

After giving his consent, Tell MAMA reported the incident to the police on their behalf.

Tell MAMA has long documented the racialised targeting of taxi drivers, and the particular vulnerabilities those in the night-time economy face when concerning racist violence, abuse, and discrimination.

We have also advocated on behalf of taxi drivers, ensuring that in some cases, police investigations re-open.

For the interim of last year, Tell MAMA verified 5 per cent of reports of having taken place on roads or highways, consistent with the 2018 reporting cycle.

In a report co-authored with Professor Peter Hopkins of Newcastle University and Dr John Clayton at Northumbria University, about the experiences of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia in North East England, one participant in the research, himself a taxi driver, described the racialised abuse faced which linked Muslims broadly to terrorism.

Another taxi driver interviewed for the research spoke of the overt racism they faced, including being called a ‘P*ki’.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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On June 14, the taxi driver, who has agreed to have his story told anonymously, described the threatening and racist behaviour of a man who, when carrying an open bottle of alcohol, confronted the driver over his face mask.

The man, who was not a passenger, asked the driver: “Why are you f****** wearing a mask for?” to which the driver replied, in a calm manner, that he was wearing it due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as the man continued to be abusive, and using racist language like “P*ki”.

As the driver manoeuvred his vehicle to leave, which required a temporary pause to change gear, the racist male threw his bottle of alcohol towards the driver, as its contents splashed over both driver and passengers.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the taxi driver described how the man had also punched his car and had not been able to drive off when he did, that the bottle may have been used as a weapon to cause him harm.

The police were informed of the attack when it proved safe for the driver to stop. A call handler took corroborative statements from the driver and the female passenger.

No officer, however, had followed up, so he began making enquiries.

But the update was unexpected: police had closed the report, as witnesses were now unwilling to provide evidence, which left the taxi driver disheartened given the physical evidence in his vehicle and his call to the police.

The taxi driver is self-employed and due to the alcohol present in the interior of his vehicle meant that he was unable to work for the rest of that evening. And, given some of the alcohol had been consumed before the attack, he feared the spread of coronavirus.

After approaching Tell MAMA for assistance, and, after providing written consent, our service requested that senior officers at South Yorkshire Police review the report which has now resulted in it reopening, and the police sent it to the Crown Prosecution Service to review.

Tell MAMA has continued to highlight the vulnerability taxi drivers face, in forms of violence, racist, and discriminatory remarks. A recent report on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred in North East England, co-authored with academics from Newcastle University and Northumbria University, includes two focus groups with Muslim men and Muslim women, one of whom is a taxi driver.

You can get advice through our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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Speaking to Tell MAMA, the driver, who wishes to remain anonymous, described how he collected a group of passengers on July 30, at around 11:45 pm GMT.

One of the three passengers, described as being an Italian man in his mid-to-late forties, asked several personal questions of the driver, including his name and where he was born.

He answered the passenger’s questions. But the passenger became more belligerent in tone, adding: “Why are you working for f**king British people? I f**king hate British people” and “I am Italian and proud to be Italian. You should go back to your country. You are discriminating against your own country”.

The driver then requested that the passenger stop being disrespectful, but instead, the passenger continued to repeat his racist remarks. So, the driver pulled over and insisted that he could take the passengers no further and that they should order a different taxi, as he was unable to continue with their journey.

The racist passenger grew more belligerent as he exited the vehicle, he said out “f**king Muslim” and referred to the driver as a “c***”.

After the passengers left, the driver contacted Uber and Sussex Police to report the racial abuse.

The physical and psychological toll of hate crime is well-documented, harming the mental health and wellbeing of individuals. In broader terms, there is a blurring or overlap between racial and religious discrimination in the context of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim prejudice.  Racial discrimination, however, has been linked to increased psychological distress, hypertension, and poorer general health. The city of Milwaukee, in the United States, declared last month that racism is a public health crisis. Despite such negative health impacts, structural racism for black and Asian people struggle to access talking therapies or treatments for mental or emotional problems. Perceptions of discriminatory attitudes from healthcare practitioners, studies have found, has seen some withdraw from seeking help. The Race Disparity Audit found that patients from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, and Chinese backgrounds were more likely to express dissatisfaction with the experience of getting a GP appointment, and with the quality of service.

Tell MAMA, has, for many years, documented the risk working in the night-time economy, such as taxi drivers, security personnel and those in the hospitality sector, may have for Muslims, vulnerable to Islamophobic hate crime.

You can get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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A 65 year-old taxi driver was abused in Rotherham, a town that has suffered an intense media focus after a grooming scandal that rocked it and which affected the lives of over 1,400 young girls.

The visibly Muslim taxi driver with a prayer cap was the target of an unprovoked incident where he was approached by a white male whilst he was in his vehicle, and who hurled abuse at him. The perpetrator maintained the abuse for some time whilst the driver was trying to take a fare from his passengers.  He was called a “bl**k bas***d” and told to “get back to your country”.

Rotherham has generated numerous incidents and more recently, 81-year-old Muslim pensioner, Mushin Ahmed, was viciously killed by a white male whilst on his way to a  mosque. The term ‘groomer’ was used during the brutal murder of Mushin Ahmed.

We will continue to support local victims in Rotherham and work to try and achieve some justice for them.

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We were notified just within the last hour of this assault on a 28 year old taxi driver in the Swinton area of Rotherham, which took place today on Tuesday the 14th of June 2016. The attack took place in the early hours of the morning at 12:40 am and the victim was racially abused, and attacked for what he says, “was being a Muslim”.

The perpetrators, whilst assaulting him also allegedly said, “when you come to our country, do what we say.”

The assault took place in the vehicle of the taxi driver and he was found unconscious on the road. He was assisted by the local community who called the police.

His injuries are not life threatening though he suffered both head and body injuries. Police have also arrested 2 people, a 50 year old and a 25 year old in relation to the incident.

Rotherham continues to be a flashpoint for anti-Muslim incidents and Tell MAMA will be working with South Yorkshire Police to ensure that where possible, we can highlight the need for local communities to report in such hate incidents.

The post Another Hate Crime Attack in Rotherham. Afghan Taxi Driver Assaulted appeared first on TELL MAMA.

On Sunday morning at around 2:30 am a Rotherham based taxi driver of Pakistani heritage stopped off to drop off a passenger and was in a stationary position when his vehicle was attacked by a large white male who punched and kicked the car. The driver placed the central locking system on and was subjected to racial abuse and with threats to kill.

The driver of the vehicle then drove away from the incident with his passenger still in the vehicle and with the perpetrator now hanging off the roof of the vehicle as he would not let go of the vehicle. After several hundred yards, and after punching the windscreen of the vehicle, it is alleged that the police caught up with the vehicle and took a statement from the perpetrator.

We are in the process of ascertaining further details on the case and we have been in touch with South Yorkshire police on this case.

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