British public transport: rising insecurity deters Muslims due to bullying.
The Guardian newspaper, citing figures from the British Transport Police, wrote that the number of racial hate crimes recorded on the rail network and stations across England, Wales, and Scotland increased from 2,827 in 2020-2019 to 3,258 in 2025-2024. Religious hate crimes also rose from 343 to 419 in 2024-2023 over the same period, although they fell slightly the following year to 372 cases.
Citing anti-racism activists, the British media writes that these figures are only the “tip of the iceberg” and that many victims refuse to report their experiences due to fear, doubt that their complaints will be taken seriously, or lack of trust in the process. Activists say that the result of this situation is a gradual change in citizens’ behavior and limiting the use of public transport to times and routes when they feel they are less exposed to insults and attacks.
The Guardian reports on the experience of a young black man on his way out of Glasgow city centre, who was suddenly subjected to blatant racist language from an elderly woman while travelling on a train. According to the newspaper, the young passenger, who records part of his daily life on TikTok, decided to record the video when the attacker aimed a disinfectant spray at him and sprayed it in the closed space of the carriage, forcing him to record the scene for his own safety.
According to the report, the attacker continued to insult him by repeating phrases such as “go back to your country” and finally, after moving seats, continued to verbally abuse him until several other passengers intervened and stood by the victim. The Guardian writes that such examples show that peaceful intervention by bystanders and standing by the target can reduce the victim’s feelings of loneliness and insecurity, especially in enclosed spaces such as train carriages or the second floor of buses, where isolation and encirclement are more likely.
The newspaper emphasizes in its analysis that public transport in the UK has become a scene for the manifestation of hate because of its specific characteristics. The excitement of alcohol consumption, the possibility of cornering the target in a carriage or corner of the bus, and then the attacker quickly leaving at the next stop, creates a combination in which the perpetrator feels more immune from prosecution, and the victim feels even more helpless.
Akila Ahmed, director of the Muslim Association of Britain, told the Guardian that the police data was consistent with accounts it receives from across the country, and that for the Muslim community, particularly women wearing headscarves and teenagers, being on the top floor of a bus or in a private train carriage can mean facing threatening, abusive or even physical assault simply because of their religious beliefs. She described the attacks recorded on public transport as some of the most complex and disturbing, saying that many Muslims have to mentally rehearse their every move and expression for fear of being misinterpreted, recorded, and used against them.