England: Mayor Accused of Ignoring Islamophobic Incident on Bus
Shamim Chowdhury, who witnessed the incident on the 260 bus near Harlesden High Street on September 5, said the man called the woman a jihadi, swore at her, and threatened her and Ms Chowdhury when she offered to be a witness.
She said no one else on the bus came to the woman's defence, including the mayor of Brent, Cllr Orleen Hylton, who was sitting at the front of the bus, Harrow Online reported.
Ms Chowdhury tweeted about the incident and posted a photo of the bus, which showed Cllr Hylton wearing a flowery top. The tweet had more than 600,000 views and many people urged the mayor and Brent Council to respond to the incident.
Cllr Hylton issued a statement through the council's Twitter account on September 11, saying she was "horrified" by the incident but did not witness it fully. She said she heard raised voices but only moved to the exit doors when she was preparing to get off. She said she felt intimidated by the incident and hoped that the police and Transport for London were investigating it.
However, Ms Chowdhury questioned how Cllr Hylton could be intimidated by something she did not witness and why she did not report it or contact her as a witness. She said it was Cllr Hylton's duty as mayor to find out what happened and respond appropriately. She also said Cllr Hylton's office only issued a statement after she emailed them and did not reply to her email.
Shamim Chowdhury witnessed a Muslim mother being verbally abused by a man on a bus whilst Brent\'s mayor was present. Image Credit: Shamim Chowdhury.
The incident has sparked a debate on social media about the role and responsibility of public officials and bystanders in cases of hate crime. Some people have defended Cllr Hylton, saying she may have been scared or unaware of what was happening. Others have criticised her, saying she should have acted or spoken up as a leader and a representative of Brent's diverse community.
Brent Council has not commented further on the incident or Cllr Hylton's statement. The police and Transport for London have not confirmed whether they are investigating the incident or if they have identified the suspect.
Brent Muslims, a local community group that works to address issues of Islamophobia and inequality in the borough, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that both hate crimes and institutionalised Islamophobia is ‘widespread’ in the borough.
They said: “It is ignored and swept under the carpet but incidents like this bring it to the forefront. Muslims and especially Muslim women and children will be afraid to go out – in a borough that has won awards for diversity. These awards should be withdrawn. It’s an embarrassment.”
Source: Agencies
