Azeem Rafiq: 'Racist language isn't friendly banter,' say British-Pakistanis

Yorkshire County Cricket Club reportedly said use of racist language towards Azeem Rafiq was "friendly and good-natured banter"

"I don't think you can go around and use the P-word and claim it is friendly banter," says Kamran, a British Pakistani who's played cricket for most of his life.

He's referring to the "racial harassment and bullying" of cricketer Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire Cricket Club.

Former team mate Gary Ballance apologised and defended it as "best friends saying offensive things to each other which, outside of that context, would be considered wholly inappropriate".

The club didn't take any disciplinary action.

We've been speaking to young British Pakistanis about their experience of racism and the P-word in sport and other parts of life.

'Well hidden' racism

"It hurts me as a person, as a cricket fan and it's a sad situation for the sport," 23-year-old Kamran Ul-Haq adds.

Kamran, from Nottingham, has played cricket for most of his life and is currently a Level 2 umpire.

He says Azeem's claims are "relatable" and racism and discrimination is "well hidden" in grassroots cricket across the country.

"If players were of equal ability, the white players would get chosen over the Asians," he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Kamran says racism and discrimination is "well hidden" in grassroots cricket

Fiyza Awan agrees that racist language isn't banter "at all".

She is "particularly sensitive to the P-word" because of verbal abuse her dad faced while growing up in Sheffield.

"I grew up with him telling those stories, so it feels personal and offensive," she says.

For her, Azeem's experience is "shocking and a disappointment, but not much of a surprise".

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As a British-Pakistani woman, Fiyza, 31, says she's always been aware of undertones and microaggressions, not just in sport but in society more widely.

A microaggression is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination" against people in a marginalised group.

Fiyza feels the world has moved on from the generation of physical and overt verbal racist assaults, but that there's "deeply embedded racism throughout society".

"It comes in the form of microaggressions, a lack of diversity and inclusion. There's a lot of bias and barriers against young South Asians in the workplace."

Fiyza works as a chartered accountant and strives to improve diversity and inclusion in her industry.

Fiyza is disappointed but not surprised by Azeem Rafiq's experience

Yorkshire County Cricket Club's chairman has now stepped down over the way it handled the racism claims.

Roger Hutton "apologised unreservedly" to 30-year-old Azeem Rafiq.

He said the club "should have recognised at the time the serious allegations of racism".

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Kamran adds that even now the "hate" is continuing for Azeem.

"You look at some of the online hate Azeem Rafiq has been getting - it shows how much society needs to change."

Azeem has revealed he's still receiving abuse for speaking out about what happened to him at Yorkshire.

'People will push it under the carpet'

Issa and Sufyaan are young cricketers in Bradford who hope Azeem's claims will bring about change.

"There are kids coming through who have potential and want to be like Azeem Rafiq," 16-year-old Issa told BBC Look North.

He feels people will be put off trying out the sport because of the possibility of racist comments.

He wants Yorkshire County Cricket Club to work to "stop it and not encourage it, like they have done so far".

Sufyaan (right) feels Yorkshire should have put a stop to things much earlier

It's "disgusting to see" what Azeem has been going through, 17-year-old Sufyaan says.

"A lot of ethnic minority kids will not want to join and play because they'll get abused," he adds.

To rebuild trust and make people realise slurs are not banter, he feels there needs to be stricter policies.

"Then people will realise it's not OK to do this, and more people will want to join. Otherwise it's a loss of talent."

Kamran thinks clubs need to be taught how to combat racism and discrimination - so that victims can feel comfortable to report issues.

"Until we acknowledge there's a problem, people will push it under the carpet."

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