UK care worker recounts racial abuse as 155 groups warn racist violence is normalising

September 23, 2026 at 06:05 PM2 min

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Agnes Peters, a care worker in Manchester, says she was racially abused and had objects thrown at her from a car while returning from work last year. Only one bystander reproached the attackers, she said. Her account comes as Oxfam, Amnesty International and 152 other groups warned the government that racist violence is becoming a weekly occurrence in the UK.

Key Facts

Agnes Peters, a care worker from Manchester, said she was racially abused and had objects thrown at her from a car while returning from work last year.
Only one bystander reproached the abusers for throwing stones at Peters, she said.
Earlier this month, Oxfam, Amnesty International and 152 other groups issued a joint statement calling on the UK government to act immediately over the normalisation of racist violence.
The groups said levels of racist violence and intimidation once considered extreme are now becoming weekly occurrences across the UK.
Far-right activist Daniel Thomas, described as an outright racist by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, filmed himself slashing an inflatable rescue boat in the Channel while a rescue worker was still on board.

The Attack

Agnes Peters, a care worker from Manchester, said she was targeted while returning from work in her uniform last year. She said the occupants of a passing car used racial slurs, told her to go back to her country, and threw objects at her as they drove slowly past. People were watching and recording the incident, Peters said. Only one bystander reproached the abusers for throwing stones at her, she added.

Normalisation of Racist Violence

Earlier this month, Oxfam, Amnesty International and 152 other groups issued a joint statement calling on the UK government to act immediately over what they described as the normalisation of racist violence. The groups said levels of racist violence and intimidation once considered extreme are now becoming weekly occurrences across the UK. They linked the trend to years of growing inequality, underinvestment in communities and public services, and political and media narratives that have normalised racism, anti-migrant sentiment and Islamophobia.

Far-Right Actions

In recent days, far-right activist Daniel Thomas, described as an outright racist by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, filmed himself slashing an inflatable rescue boat in the Channel while a rescue worker was still on board. His group, Patriot Platform, has caused chaos during anti-migrant actions at the ports of Dover and Portsmouth. Thomas has suggested bringing thousands of his black-clad members to the Oxfordshire village of Piddington, where some residents are resisting government attempts to house asylum seekers. Other English towns have also seen anti-migration protests, often featuring crowds of masked men engaging in anti-social behaviour. Nahella Ashraf, a Manchester organiser with Stand Up to Racism, said right-wing protests outside mosques or hotels housing asylum seekers inevitably result in arbitrary attacks on individuals based on their skin colour.