Victims Of Racist Abuse Not Reporting Incidents, MP Warns
Many people experiencing racist abuse across Sussex are not reporting it to police, Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller has said.
MP calls for community responsibility
Many victims of racist abuse are giving up on reporting incidents to police, according to Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller. She made the comments during a Black History Month debate in the House of Commons, following reports of racist, xenophobic and homophobic abuse directed at comedian Munya Chawawa and his castmates at Chichester Festival Theatre.
Ms Brown-Fuller said that people often stop reporting because they become "really tired of constantly reporting things and then not seeing a change". She explained that several cast members had not initially shared their experiences with the theatre, only doing so after a homophobic attack forced the show's cancellation.
"For a lot of the cast members, they hadn't shared with the theatre their experience up until the point where we had this homophobic attack that caused the show not to go up," she said. "It was then in a kind of safe space they were able to say, actually that resonates with me because I experienced this when I was out in the city centre."
The MP called for a broader conversation about what can be done to tackle abuse. "The onus shouldn't always be on them," she said of victims, "and so I think we need to have a wider conversation about what businesses can do, what just individuals can do in the city."
Ms Brown-Fuller highlighted that the abuse occurred both in Chichester and during a night out in Brighton. She noted that cast members felt emboldened to speak out when they had the support of the theatre around them.
Burden should not fall on victims
Communities minister Florence Eshalomi echoed the concerns raised by Ms Brown-Fuller. Ms Eshalomi noted the emotional toll of repeatedly raising these issues, particularly when victims feel they are alone in doing so.
Ms Brown-Fuller stressed that the responsibility for calling out abuse should not rest solely with those experiencing it. "I appreciate the minister for her intervention because it is not the job of those that experience the abuse to be the only ones calling it out," she said.
She described the abuse faced by Mr Chawawa and his fellow cast members as having "broken my heart" and called on the theatre to ensure visiting performers feel welcome and included.
Separately, Labour MPs Adam Jogee and Bell Ribeiro-Addy shared accounts of racist abuse they have faced online, urging Parliament to take a stronger stand against racism.
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