- Thursday, April 18, 2024
By: Pramod Thomas
A British TV presenter has revealed her own heartbreaking experiences of racism in the country as she discussed rising racism among school pupils in the UK in her show.
ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) presenter Ranvir Singh also condemned the ‘racially aggravated assault’ following the horrific attack on a schoolgirl outside Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Surrey, reported The Mirror.
Singh and co-presenter Rob Rinder were discussing what can be done to tackle racism in schools during the GMB show.
During the discussion, Singh said that she was treated differently by teachers.
“I remember in my childhood and when I was a bit older there was a sense of ‘keep your head down’ because that’s what your parents did,” she was quoted as saying by The Mirror.
“I saw my dad’s turban being knocked off down the street. All the words [being said to us], everything that you know. Teachers singling me out and treating me differently.”
An award-winning journalist and television presenter, she was born in Preston, Lancashire, into a Sikh family.
According to Rinder, more than 7,000 children in England were suspended from school last year for incidents including racially motivated assaults, vile language and social media taunts.
“This comes after Surrey police arrested several people following what they described as a serious racially aggravated assault on a Black schoolgirl,” Singh said during the discussion.
“There is a video going around, the police said please don’t keep showing it because it’s clearly deeply distressing but perhaps you’ve already seen it.”
Guests who participated in the show stressed the importance of education to combat racism and giving pupils the confidence to speak out against the menace.
In the Surrey incident, a 15-year-old schoolgirl was beaten while her attackers were encouraged by adults. A protest was held near the school last week when the video of the incident went viral. Lawmakers have demanded an investigation into the incident.
According to reports, four people were arrested on suspicion of attempted racially aggravated grevious bodily harm (GBH), including a 39-year-old woman, a 16-year-old and two 11-year-old girls.
A 43-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were detained on suspicion of child negligence and knowingly inciting and aiding the commission of an offence punishable only by indictment.
The 16-year-old girl was also arrested on suspicion of malicious communications. A sixth suspect, a 15-year-old girl, has not yet turned herself in, reports added.
