Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Racist abusers targeted Aberystwyth student on train

Racist abusers targeted Aberystwyth student on train

A student felt "trapped" in her seat as a group directed racist chanting and Nazi salutes towards her on a train.

Rose Williams said she and others were subjected to a stream of abuse after a group got on the Aberystwyth-bound train at Borth, Ceredigion, on Sunday.

The microbiology student said the "heinous attack" came out of nowhere.

British Transport Police (BTP) said it was treating it as a racist incident and transport bosses say they "utterly condemn this abhorrent behaviour".

In a post widely shared on social media, Ms Williams shared video footage of a man pointing and laughing at her while shouting racist slurs in the carriage.

Speaking to BBC Wales, she described in detail the language and abuse she had been subjected to.

The student, who has lived in Aberystwyth for six years, said she was travelling back from a weekend away in Manchester with friends when the incident happened.

'Took me by surprise'


She explained her friends had just got off, when a group of men and women came into the carriage at Borth and one of the men started pointing at her, calling her a "big black dog".

"It shocked me, it took me by surprise," she said.

"His friends joined in and they were all chanting, 'There's a dog on the train', raising their hands in the air like, jumping off their seats and laughing about it."

Ms Williams said she tried to remain calm as she was on her own, as the man started to change his chants, directing them towards other people of colour on the train.

She said the abuse was continuous and lasted for about 20 minutes, adding she managed to film them before the train pulled into the station at Aberystwyth.

Rose said she felt frightened as she tried to film the group as they stared and pointed at her

Ms Williams said she felt so angry she could cry, but said she did not want to give the group the satisfaction of seeing her react, or "let them win".

"I was frozen in the seat, I was sat there shaking because I was angry and I was trying to not react and provoke or escalate the situation where it possibly become physical," she said.

"They were obviously looking for a reaction, that's why they continuously did it and did it, and I didn't give them that satisfaction.

"I was on my own on the train, I thought the best thing to do was to sit in silence and wait."

Ms Williams said she texted her friends who met her at the station, and once out of sight of the group she broke down, before her friends helped her to report the incident to police.

"I've sat and gone through the situation in my head. I didn't say anything to these people, there was nothing that happened that provoked such a heinous attack on me, and the other people... it just came out of nowhere, he got on the train and started racially abusing us," she said.

Ms Williams who described the university town as her second home said she had been subjected to racist abuse in the past but never to an extent where they "verbalise the hate towards me for such a long period of time".

"You see video footage of stuff like this happening to other people, I never thought it'd happen to me, although it was naive of me to think that, because I am a black woman," she added.

Ms Williams said it was important people reported hate crime to the police, and she hoped they would not just get a slap on the wrist.

'Hate crime not tolerated'


A spokesperson for Transport for Wales, who run the service, said it was working closely with police with their investigations and urged anyone on the train to contact officers.

"We utterly condemn this abhorrent behaviour and are treating this report very seriously," they said. "We encourage victims and those who witness such crimes to report it immediately - we will do all we can to help.

"We are proud of the diversity within Transport for Wales and the diversity of the customers we serve, and we stand together alongside our industry partners to say loud and clear that any form of hate crime will not be tolerated on our services."

A BTP spokesperson said they were investigating a report of a racist incident on board a train between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.

They urged anyone who had witnessed the incident to contact them.


"I'm not going to let racist abusers win"


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×