Fears city 'going backwards' amid racial tension

Community leaders say Bristol is seeing a rise in racial tensions

A resident in the West's largest city has warned "it feels like we are going back in time" amid a rise in racial tensions after an attack on a nine-year-old girl.

An outreach event organised by community leaders was held in Bristol on Wednesday after an incident where a young girl was shot with an airgun and had racial insults shouted at her.

Sheetal Jethwa, who attended the meeting, said she is now always on "high alert" when out in public.

Clare Moody, Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner, said she believes recent anti-immigration marches are "emboldening other people to commit verbal and physical attacks on people". as the force announced a rise in hate crimes over recent years.

Over the past few months, Bristol and other cities have seen a number of demonstrations and counter-demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers.

Earlier this month, a nine-year-old girl was shot with an airgun in north Bristol in what police said was a racially-motivated attack.

Elsewhere, an estimated 150,000 people joined a march organised by anti-immigration campaigner Tommy Robinson on 13 September.

Union flags and St George crosses have also been appearing in public places, or painted on to road markings, although many of the people putting them up say they are not linked to racism, and are just showing patriotism.

Sheetal Jethwa says she is now always on "high alert" when walking to work

There has been a rise in the number of race-related hate incidents recorded by Avon and Somerset Police in recent years.

In 2024, a total of 3,774 incidents were recorded, compared to 3,150 the previous year and 2,743 in 2022.

So far this year, 2,563 such incidents have been logged, the force said.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew said reports of hate crime are taken extremely seriously.

"It's hugely concerning, and not acceptable. To those who commit hate crime, we have no tolerance for it," she said.

"There will be a robust investigation and we will seek to find the perpetrators.

"We also know that hate crime is underreported. So my message is, if you're experiencing hate crime, please do report it to the police.

"We can build up patterns, it helps us find those perpetrators, and we will be robust in dealing with them."

'High alert'

About 200 people attended the meeting in Easton Community Centre on Wednesday.

Ms Jethwa, who lives on the outskirts of Bristol in South Gloucestershire, told the BBC afterwards: "It is very difficult to describe in words but you can just feel the tension in our communities and on our streets.

"I think some people think they can just act like they want to because they've got that support.

"We are hearing stories about young people being attacked in their neighbourhoods and people feeling unsafe.

"I walk to work and I feel like I am always on high alert."

"We've come so far and it feels like we're going back in time and I don't want to feel scared. I'm really proud to be British Asian and I'm not going to feel scared in my own city," Ms Jethwa said.

Teddy Good said he had been really reassured by the meeting, but warned there was a sense of pessimism among young people in the city.

Teddy Good said some young people in Bristol feel pessimistic about the future

"I think the big takeaway here is definitely that there's power in numbers, and we all need to learn to mobilise more and come together," he said.

"I think that is what we are seeing on the other side - they are really not shy about coming out and speaking their minds."

He added:"Racism is terrorism at the end of the day, and it's not overdramatic to say that - anyone who has experienced it knows it should be treated as such."

Jasmine Tippett, one of the event's community organisers, said Bristol was known for being a multi-cultural city, yet she feared for her children walking the streets.

"For me, I want the next generation to be able to grow in a safe environment," she said.

"We shouldn't live how we have been living for so long, it's time to make a change and say to the leaders of this community, we want change and this is how we want it done."