‘Shocking’: Anti-Muslim Graffiti in South Bristol Sparks Community Condemnation
Community members said the vandalism appeared over the weekend on West Street in Bedminster, close to the local job centre. Police were notified and Bristol City Council, which manages the city’s bus stops, has been alerted.
Some residents attempted to remove the graffiti themselves before officials arrived, Bristol Live reported on Monday.
A spokesperson for Way Out West, a community group of local residents and business owners, called the incident “shocking and totally unacceptable.”
She said West Street is a multicultural area and that “there is no place for this in our community at all.” The spokesperson added that such acts cause anxiety among families and local business owners.
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Councillor Ellie Freeman, who represents Bedminster for the Green Party, said she too was dismayed. “I’m obviously absolutely disgusted that this has happened,” she said, stressing that racism and hate speech are not tolerated in the area.
Freeman noted that incidents of this kind foster “feelings of worry and threat which is not how we want our community to feel.”
Police investigations are under way. Community leaders have urged swift removal of the graffiti and reiterated that such acts are not reflective of the wider neighbourhood.
Source: Agencies
