Londoners urged to 'befriend' Underground passengers being harassed in new TfL campaign

Transport for London (TfL) is encouraging passengers to help possible victims of hate crime when travelling on the network.

In a new campaign, launched during National Hate Crime Awareness Week, Tfl is urging people to 'act like a friend' to those who experience any kind of abuse.

A film showing real-life examples of three Londoners who have witnessed another passenger being targeted, and who have helped defuse the incident by engaging the targeted person in a conversation is being shown in cinemas and on ITVX.

Free training sessions are also being provided by TfL urging passengers to become “active bystanders” and use distraction techniques to help victims, or to offer support and information about what they have witnessed.

According to TfL's latest figures, 1,268 hate crime offences have been reported across it's services in the first six months of this year.

Sophia Choudry, 47, was racially abused by a group of children on an Underground journey from Paddington to Maidenhead on September 7.

She was on a carriage full of passengers when the incident took place and said no one intervened.

Speaking to ITV News London she said, "The children used the P word, something that I haven't heard in over 25 years.

"I then took my phone out to film them and I told them that I would contact the police about what they've done. They then basically ran off the tube at the next stop.

"During that whole process, I looked around to see if any passengers were going to give me any support, but sadly, nobody raised an eyebrow.

"I knew I was on my own."

The mother-of-two said, "everybody pretended that they couldn't hear what was happening and in fact, they started to turn on me and said that I was the problem, that they're just children, that I should just allow their behaviour.

"And if they're being racist, it doesn't matter because they're just children."

Speaking about the impact the experience had on her, Ms Choudry said, "I was very anxious and paranoid for the first week and I avoided taking the tube for a good two weeks.

"When I did have to go into London, I made sure that it wasn't during school time, but since then I've slowly bounced back."

"Sadly, I do think incidents like this are happening more frequently on London Transport," she added.

"I know just from friends and family that this has definitely been on the rise. I also know somebody whose children as young as five have been a victim of racial abuse."

Ms Choudry is encouraging anyone who has been a victim of racial abuse to speak out, "because if you stay silent, it just gives people the license to continue doing it."

The British Transport Police said the children involved in Ms Choudry's case are being dealt with by a youth justice team.

A charity who aims to change the way people respond to and prevent identity-based violence hopes the Active Bystander training can give people the confidence to stand up and intervene in incidents.

Szymon Glowacki, Director of Stronger Communities at Protection Approaches, said: "Too often we see people being harmed while those around them stay silent, not because they don’t care but because they don’t know how to step in safely.

"Our Active Bystander training gives people the skills and confidence to respond in those crucial moments — to support those at risk and to help prevent harm from escalating.

"At a time when many communities are experiencing the harms of rising division and polarising narratives, this work is about building stronger, safer communities where everyone feels empowered to act."

The 10 two-hour Active Bystander sessions start on 22 October and finish on 1 December.

Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of Security Policing Enforcement, said: “Everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe when they travel on our services, and we have a strong police and enforcement presence on our services and in our stations to prevent crime.

"Sadly, there are still some instances of people being targeted and we know that it can feel hard to know what to do when we see this happen to someone else.

"Our new campaign shows how powerful it can be to strike up a conversation with the targeted person and treat them like a friend, to help them feel less alone and make the first steps towards reporting the incident.”

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