This is the moment a local business owner is racially abused in broad daylight by passerby in Nuneaton town centre.
In a video circulating on social media, local business owner Zahin, 32, was being interviewed by Sky News about the divide in the town over attitides to asylum seekers.
He has only just started to speak, stating his age, when he is interrupted by two women walking along the street with what appears to be a group of children.
One of the women, holding a glass of beer, moves in front of the camera while shouting a string of obscenities directed towards Zahin.
The woman’s faces have been blurred by Sky News.
‘Can you not see we’re talking?’ he asks the women, referring to the interview with Sky News’ Midlands correspondent Shamaan Freeman-Powell.
The second woman then begins a rant about religion, before adding: ‘That’s the issue we’re having with youse in our country, you’re raping our kids.’
The first woman then shouts the racist phrase ‘dirty monkeys’ followed by ‘save our kids’.
Local business owner Zahin, 32, is being interviewed by Sky News when he is interrupted by a woman holding a glass of beer
The woman moves in front of the camera while shouting a string of obscenities directed towards Zahin
The woman then shouts a number of racist terms at Zahin
A shocked Zahin, who moved to the UK from Malawi aged 6, can be heard asking the woman ‘What you teaching them kids?’
Presenter Freeman-Powell attempts to deesculate the situation, asking if he is okay.
He responds, heartbreakingly: ‘I’m used to this conflict.’ To which the Sky News added: ‘No-one should be used to that.’
Zahin then returns to the group out of concern for his twin sister, who is by now surrounded by them.
Following the confrontation, Zahin told the Sky News team ‘I love this town’ but says he thinks he was targeted because they assumed he was Muslim.
‘For them to accuse us of a crime, that’s unfair, that is unjust,’ he said.
Nuneaton has been home to a number of anti-immigration protests in recent weeks.
Quizzed about how he feels about the demonstrations, Zahin says he supports peoples right to protest in general.
Zahin attempts to engage the women in conversation but is quickly shouted down
‘We have a right to protest for whatever cause we want to: that’s the beauty of living in England,’ he said.
Speaking about the fault lines running through Nuneaton, Zahin says there is a need to build community and open dialogue.
‘Right now, I don’t think we’re a part of a community, it’s more like sides,’ he added.
‘But there has to be a solution. And I think that solution comes through dialogue, not ranting off, swearing at each other. I mean we are in 2025 now.’
Warwickshire Police have been contacted for comment.
