‘Everyone stand in unity’

Secondary school teacher

Shabir Makim tells Emily Jenkins of his traumatic experience being racially attacked.

“THIS traumatic event and the violent actions of the attacker have left me deeply scarred. There should be zero tolerance for this type of hate crime.”

Secondary teacher Shabir Makim from Manchester was the victim of a racist attack in July last year, when he was chased down the street by a former soldier brandishing two umbrellas, who used racist language and threatened to kill him.

“His intention was to gouge my eyes out, purely out of hate because of the colour of my skin. If it wasn’t for my fast reflexes that would have been the case,” says Shabir.

Shabir received blows to the head from the umbrellas, leading to concussion. Despite happening in broad daylight outside a local supermarket, no one from the public intervened during the attack.

“I felt so alone. All I could think of was my family,” says Shabir.

‘No justice if I hadn’t collected evidence myself’

His attacker, Robert Browne, a former soldier who later admitted to the racial assault in court, turned on Shabir after the teacher had begun filming an “aggressive” altercation between Mr Browne and a “vulnerable” homeless man, Shabir explains.

Shabir continued filming as Mr Browne attacked him with the ends of two umbrellas. After the incident he immediately called the nearby police station, but it was only after Shabir followed Mr Browne to a pub and showed the video to a passing police officer – more than two hours later – that his complaint was taken seriously by police and the attacker arrested.

“If I hadn’t filmed the incident and collected the evidence myself, this man would never have been brought to justice,” Shabir says.

Shabir shared the video with friends and family in his WhatsApp group and one of them posted it on social media, where it received 1.5 million views on Twitter.

No prison time so ‘behave how you wish’

In December, his attacker pleaded guilty to the racially aggravated assault and received a ten-week suspended sentence. This means he will not spend any time in custody unless he offends again within the following 18 months.

Shabir says he feels angry and heartbroken, and does not believe justice has been done: “What message does this give to those who share the same values as Robert Browne? Behave how you wish with people of colour and pick up litter for a short period of time?”

The attack has had a severe and long-term effect on Shabir’s mental health. He explains that he now feels unsafe going out, has lost his confidence and suffers from anxiety. But, he says, he also wants to use his experience to raise awareness of racism and hate crimes in this country and encourage his fellow educators to help spread messages of tolerance and community.

“Schools and teachers can have a massive sphere of influence in terms of reaching out to different members of the community, and can act like a hub where all these groups can work together to create a positive message,” he says.

Shabir also believes the law needs to change so that there is zero tolerance towards racism. “I believe everyone needs to stand in unity against racism,” he says. “From Government officials, heads of establishments and institutions, faith groups, right down to the men and women in our local communities. We cannot stay silent any longer about the evils of racism; we must speak up against it to rid this cancer from our society. Be the change you wish to see in the world.” n Visit neu.org.uk/anti-racism-charter n Visit neu.org.uk/anti-racism-education