British-Pakistanis call out racism in UK after cricketer Azeem Rafiq shares ordeal of harassment and bullying
- Azeem Rafiq’s allegations against Yorkshire County Cricket Club have inspired others to share their experiences using social media hashtag #RacismIsNotBanter
- The former player’s revelations of racial harassment at the club have once again brought to the fore the racism those of South Asian heritage face in Britain
Kayas Irshad, a British-Pakistani actor and filmmaker based in London, was excited when he got his first job aged 17 at a retail company.
But his enthusiasm soon turned to dread. He says his supervisor picked on him in a racist way as he was the only Pakistani employee, and he was not asked along when other staff members went out together after work.
Kayas reported the behaviour to his company’s human resources department, but nothing was done, he said, and he ended up leaving the job after four months. Twenty years later, the matter still haunts him.
“I was subjected to racism because of the colour of my skin. It left a scar forever,” Irshad told This Week In Asia. “Why do we, the victims of racism, have to give in while it should be the racists who need to be dealt with?”
