The case for change

4. Racism: quotes from partners

“Racism contradicts itself, racism is illogical, racism is a farce to deny people of human rights and as such deny their right to live their lives with dignity, denied being afforded the same privileges as everyone else, denied a way to make a living and denied the basic pleasure of waking up to a new day with hope”. Cindy Ikie, Black Lives Matter Wales. 2020

“For 30 years I faced discrimination and racism because I wore my Hijab; I have been called names, which I do not want to repeat, I have been told to go back to my own country. I have been spoken to as if I don’t understand English and as a second‑class citizen…. (eventually) I decided to remove my Hijab as I feared for my daughter and grandchildren that when I go out with them that they would also be abused, or worse attacked…”

“Sometimes a car will pass you, they call out ‘terrorist’ or ‘go back home’ and all that stuff. So you get used to it. For the rest of your life, you are living here, you get used to get racism and then you think it’s normal, you know”. Diverse Cymru “The police… are too quick to judge and they single us (Gypsies and Travellers) out, unless they personally know us. I honestly do not have respect for the police because of the way I have been treated in the past”. TGP Cymru

“An ambulance won’t come on the site unless they have the police with them. They won’t come down here at all. You call an ambulance, it takes 2 or 3 hours until the police are here. There has never been a problem that way – there is no need”. Romani Cultural & Arts Company

“It’s been going on for 10 years. The man downstairs is so abusive and aggressive. The police know about him…I have reported it so many times and nothing gets done – so then I stopped reporting the incidents and then I was told I don’t report enough….(his) kitchen is next to the entrance to our building; he shouts ‘You black bastard, you black ***t’. My husband has even caught it on camera. The man was arrested but he was back in the building in two hours. I’m left feeling so vulnerable having to go past this man’s front door”. BAME Women (MELA, WCF, Hayaat WT, Henna Foundation) “I moved to Wales from England, to study medicine...as I’ve moved around different parts of Wales during placements I’ve found that there are places where I am very unwelcome. It might be micro‑aggressions, like being stared at or questioned about my hijab, but it can also be very serious, having insults thrown at me or being asked by a patient for a white doctor… it’s made me think again about how open and fair Wales really is”. Islam UK Centre & Muslim Council of Wales

“Recent online racial hatred has been dreadful. I hope that as a community we can reach a place where it is totally unacceptable to post racial comments. We need everyone in the community to listen, to understand, and to speak out. It is only by education the community that we can achieve this”. Neath Port Talbot surveys

“Race and sex discrimination occurs on a regular basis, but this is carried out in a subtle way so (as) not to be detected overtly. So many tricks are used to do this…” Hindu Cultural Association (Wales)