An article in the Stoke Sentinel reports on how a group of young Muslim students were made victim to verbal abuse – with one being head-butted – on Thursday the 5^th of April.

The group of five female students were waiting at a bus stop at Newcastle Bus Station at around 7:20 pm when a man, who was previously seen to be urinating on the street, walked up to them and proceeded to verbally and physically abuse them.

The man – described as being white, blond hair, in his late 20s and around 6-foot tall wearing black hoody and bottoms – spat at the students and made racially charged comments.

He then proceeded to head-butt one of the Muslim students and attempted to rip off her hijab.

Passers-by, who witnessed the attack, rushed to the aid of the young students.

Mr John Hughes, the Vulnerability Sergeant from Newcastle-under-Lyme local policing team, said: “This was a despicable act and one that left the victims understandably shaken. Thankfully, several members of the public came to their aid and intervened during the incident”.

Mr Hughes added: “Hate crime of any kind will not be tolerated and we will do everything we can to catch the perpetrator”.

Appealing for witnesses, the Sergeant said: “If you were in the area or have any information in relation to this incident please call us on 101 quoting 495 of 6 April. Alternatively, for guaranteed anonymity, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111”.

Northumbria Police Force reported 1,770 racial and religious hate crimes in 2016/17 which was an increase of more than 55% on the last year (1,122).

It is important that anyone who believes they are in immediate danger from a prejudice-based hate crime should contact the police as soon as possible on 999. If not in immediate danger, or if you have suffered a prejudice-based hate crime in the past, then you can report it using the non-emergency number 101.

You can also – in addition to the police – report any Islamophobic hate crime to MEND’s Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) here. This allows us to monitor levels of abuse and compile accurate data on the levels of Islamophobia.

The IRU can also help you contact and deal with the police (if you choose to do so), and signpost you towards free legal advice and emotional support that may be available.