Don't Tell People Of Colour To Be The 'Bigger Person' When They've Experienced Racism

To say this is to say that hate crime is just part and parcel of living in the UK

- Furvah Shah

In March this year, as I sat on a west Midlands bus, a group of people started chanted racist language and "EDL" - but I kept quiet. The following month, when I saw a boy mocking a group of Sikh men on a train, I spoke out. Both times, I was told by bystanders that I should be "the bigger person" and say nothing.

Racism is an uncomfortable topic. It's uncomfortable to witness, and uncomfortable to realise we may have partaken in racist behaviour. But it is most uncomfortable to be a victim of racism - something I know about far too well as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman from a small town in the Midlands.

I'm at a higher risk of experiencing a hate crime, but people often won't take it seriously when I call them out on their racist behaviour. They are not intimidated by me and will often assume I'm just "playing the victim" or out to cause trouble. There's a blatant imbalance of power when a white man who is much older and physically larger than me is directing racist language towards me.