Indians immigrant workers who have recently moved to the eastern England town of Norwich for employment have recently encountered considerable physical and verbal abuse, so much so that they have been warned by the agencies that employ them not to go out after 8 pm!

Several Indian workers in the town said they were being verbally abused and attacked, and did not feel comfortable visiting many parts of town, particularly pubs.

Recently, two Indians in their late 20s working for Norwich Union were beaten up. They were walking down Magdalen Street at 10.30 p.m. when three white teenagers pounced on them and hit them while shouting abuse. They were taken to hospital with hand and neck injuries.

Over the past decade, the number of racially motivated crimes in Norwich has greatly increased. Ten years ago there were 12 reported racist crimes in Norfolk. This year there were more than 400.
Anne Matin, director of the Norfolk and Norwich Racial Equality Council, said the organisation was aware of attacks on Asians and other races.

Said Julie Benson, racial equality officer: "Foreign national workers who come to Norfolk will feel vulnerable and it's a pattern we've seen for many years. The companies who are contracting these workers need to take some responsibility for their well-being and allow them to have information about us and the hate crime unit."

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT / DISCUSS