Standing Together Against Racism in Ealing
Community protest outside North Ealing Station
( photos credit : Tony Deady)
Over a hundred and fifty people gathered outside North Ealing Tube station to protest against a racist attack which took place last month.
Police are still investigating after two Muslim women, a mother in her 60s, and her daughter, in her 30s, were racially abused and assaulted by a woman, in front of the daughter’s two young children. The mother was left with broken ribs and her daughter with bruises and internal bleeding.
Police released an image of a woman they wish to speak to in relation to the incident.
More than 150 people attended the vigil organised by West London Stand Up To Racism on Friday evening, 6 September 2019, to protest about the attack on Friday, 23 August 2019.
People from all parts of west London joined the rally, and were addressed by local MP Rupa Huq, Ealing NEU Secretary Stefan Simms, Councillors Sitarah Anjum, Aysha Raza, Hitesh Tailor and Tariq Mahmood, local CofE vicar Simon, the imam from Acton mosque, Meena Patel (Southall Black Sisters) and Ealing Trades Council's Eve Turner, amongst others.
A family member of the two women also addressed the vigil making an emotional appeal for help.
Balwinder Rana, organiser of the protest, said, " As soon as we heard about that appalling, racist, attack we decided to act to bring the community together. We are very happy that so many people turned up to show that the racists will not win. They would not be able to divide our communities or scare us from walking our streets.
“After Boris Johnson compared Muslim women to ‘letter boxes’ and ‘bank robbers’, Islamophobic attacks have gone up by more than 375%, according to Tell MAMA. And Muslim women are suffering most.
"Also, the daily demonising of Muslims, migrants and asylum seekers by the likes of Trump and Farage, as well as by some of the media, is fuelling fires and has led to much serious attacks like the one on Finsbury Park Mosque, or at the Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand."
He further added, "But we can beat the racists if we are united and always act quickly whenever they try to spread their racist poison or attack anyone amongst us. There are more of us than them and unity is our strength.”
9 September 2019