Muhammad Jawad Yaqoob, a food delivery driver in Glasgow, has said he is "scared to go outside" after being attacked by a racist mob during an anti-immigration protest on Saturday, July 25.
Attack during city centre protest
Yaqoob, who moved from Kashmir three years ago to work legally in Scotland, was targeted by a crowd of racists while working a shift as a delivery driver in the city centre. A member of the mob threw a traffic cone at him, while others shouted "get them out" and "send them back". He fled into a nearby establishment for safety. He also reported hearing the words "sh*t Asian" and "sh*t brown guy" shouted at him.
Fear and anxiety after ordeal
A video of the attack went viral on social media. Yaqoob, 31, said he has been too scared to go to work. He told Glasgow Live: "They abused and harassed me, and you can see in the video they hit me with a traffic cone... I went home, and then I saw the video is viral on different pages, and I was very scared. I'm very upset, I'm not going outside. Some people are not good in Scotland." He added that his experience in Glasgow had been positive until now, and he thought Scotland was a "welcoming country".
His wife, Hajra, 27, who studied in Glasgow, said: "We didn't imagine that this would happen. In every state, there are bad people – but these days, things are worse. I talk to my husband and he says everything's fine – but he's scared, depressed and feeling anxiety. The last two nights he couldn't sleep well. I'm worried about him. He's so sensitive." She explained that he was just doing his job, and that they are legal taxpayers.
Police response and arrests
The attack occurred amid major disorder during and after an anti-immigration protest and counter-demonstration at Glasgow Green, attended by around 1,700 people. Police said several groups engaged in acts of violence, disorder, intimidation and hate-motivated offences, including a large crowd of approximately 100 people moving through the city centre. Containments were put in place, and 15 people have been arrested so far. Chief Superintendent Emma Croft said: "The level of disorder, violence and intimidation we saw in Glasgow on Saturday was nothing short of disgraceful. People have the right to express their views lawfully and to protest peacefully, however the behaviour we saw from those involved in the disorder was not legitimate protest but rather acts of aggression to cause fear in our communities." She added that a significant investigation is underway and urged anyone with information to contact police.
