London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Racist abusers targeted Aberystwyth student on train

Racist abusers targeted Aberystwyth student on train

A student felt "trapped" in her seat as a group directed racist chanting and Nazi salutes towards her on a train.

Rose Williams said she and others were subjected to a stream of abuse after a group got on the Aberystwyth-bound train at Borth, Ceredigion, on Sunday.

The microbiology student said the "heinous attack" came out of nowhere.

British Transport Police (BTP) said it was treating it as a racist incident and transport bosses say they "utterly condemn this abhorrent behaviour".

In a post widely shared on social media, Ms Williams shared video footage of a man pointing and laughing at her while shouting racist slurs in the carriage.

Speaking to BBC Wales, she described in detail the language and abuse she had been subjected to.

The student, who has lived in Aberystwyth for six years, said she was travelling back from a weekend away in Manchester with friends when the incident happened.

'Took me by surprise'


She explained her friends had just got off, when a group of men and women came into the carriage at Borth and one of the men started pointing at her, calling her a "big black dog".

"It shocked me, it took me by surprise," she said.

"His friends joined in and they were all chanting, 'There's a dog on the train', raising their hands in the air like, jumping off their seats and laughing about it."

Ms Williams said she tried to remain calm as she was on her own, as the man started to change his chants, directing them towards other people of colour on the train.

She said the abuse was continuous and lasted for about 20 minutes, adding she managed to film them before the train pulled into the station at Aberystwyth.

Rose said she felt frightened as she tried to film the group as they stared and pointed at her

Ms Williams said she felt so angry she could cry, but said she did not want to give the group the satisfaction of seeing her react, or "let them win".

"I was frozen in the seat, I was sat there shaking because I was angry and I was trying to not react and provoke or escalate the situation where it possibly become physical," she said.

"They were obviously looking for a reaction, that's why they continuously did it and did it, and I didn't give them that satisfaction.

"I was on my own on the train, I thought the best thing to do was to sit in silence and wait."

Ms Williams said she texted her friends who met her at the station, and once out of sight of the group she broke down, before her friends helped her to report the incident to police.

"I've sat and gone through the situation in my head. I didn't say anything to these people, there was nothing that happened that provoked such a heinous attack on me, and the other people... it just came out of nowhere, he got on the train and started racially abusing us," she said.

Ms Williams who described the university town as her second home said she had been subjected to racist abuse in the past but never to an extent where they "verbalise the hate towards me for such a long period of time".

"You see video footage of stuff like this happening to other people, I never thought it'd happen to me, although it was naive of me to think that, because I am a black woman," she added.

Ms Williams said it was important people reported hate crime to the police, and she hoped they would not just get a slap on the wrist.

'Hate crime not tolerated'


A spokesperson for Transport for Wales, who run the service, said it was working closely with police with their investigations and urged anyone on the train to contact officers.

"We utterly condemn this abhorrent behaviour and are treating this report very seriously," they said. "We encourage victims and those who witness such crimes to report it immediately - we will do all we can to help.

"We are proud of the diversity within Transport for Wales and the diversity of the customers we serve, and we stand together alongside our industry partners to say loud and clear that any form of hate crime will not be tolerated on our services."

A BTP spokesperson said they were investigating a report of a racist incident on board a train between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.

They urged anyone who had witnessed the incident to contact them.


"I'm not going to let racist abusers win"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×