A Black woman who heads a British nonprofit in West London, which works to shield Black women from violence and abuse, said she was attacked and bitten by a racist white woman while an off-duty police officer stood by and did nothing.
Selma Taha, executive director of Southall Black Sisters, said a white woman verbally and physically assaulted her and some friends on Sept. 29 while on a train in London. According to The Independent, the woman left a nasty bite mark on Taha requiring the nonprofit leader to get a tetanus shot and antibiotics. Taha also alleges the woman pulled out parts of her hair. On top of this, Taha claims a Metropolitan Police officer watched without intervening while the white woman made monkey sounds at the group and called them slaves and other slurs.
Taha and her friends told The Independent that they want justice.
“We demand that appropriate action be taken against the assailant and the police officer,” said Taha, adding she was shocked at the lack of response by police.
“Almost worse than the shock of the racist attack was the indifference of the police officer, especially now when the Met police has been rocked by evidence of historical, institutionalized racism and misogyny suffered by Black and minoritized communities and finally backed up by the Casey report.”
The Casey Review, a review of London’s Metropolitan Police from February 2022 to March 2023, identified problems in how police officers are dismissed for misconduct.
A spokesperson for the police said, according to The Independent, “A complaint has been received to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and we have made a referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct. The officer involved is being provided with welfare support during this process.”
The British Transport Police (BTP) ultimately arrested the white woman, who has been released on bail while inquiries continue, the outlet noted.
“An off-duty officer from the Metropolitan Police intervened and separated the group before escorting passengers off at the next stop, King’s Cross, and calling the British Transport Police for assistance,” the BTP said, according to The Independent.
Taha is the executive director of Southall Black Sisters, a nonprofit that according to its website challenges “all forms of violence against women and girls, empowering them to gain control over their lives and assert the human rights to justice, equality and freedom.”
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