A young woman who went to school in Glasgow said she experienced racist abuse from pupils and a teacher.

 

The 23-year-old, who asked not to be named, has a Pakistani father and a Scottish mother.

She said: "There were always insults and derogatory names shouted about my race and skin colour but there are a couple of incidents in particular that I always remember clearly.

"On one occasion, when I was in the playground, this girl kicked me on the ankles. I was trying to get away from her and she pulled my Hijab down and poured a packet of crisps on my hair.

"Then she said: 'You're able to show your hair now. Go and wash it.'

"I don't know why she did it. I hadn't said anything or done anything. I was just standing there.

"I always remember it because everyone was too scared to say anything. There was an Indian girl with me and she had been through something herself where she had been forced to smoke, so she kept quiet.

"I'm quite a confident person but this was the one time I couldn't say anything or do anything either.

"I felt humiliated. It was significant to me because the Hijab represents my faith and it's about modesty for girls in Islam.

"But I didn't even tell the teachers. I went straight home and as soon as I saw my mum I broke down crying.

"After that I found myself not wanting to wear the Hijab and I've never worn a Hijab since.

"Another incident, which happened before that, was when I actually got told by a teacher to take off my Hijab.

"She said it as she was handing out books. She said: 'could you please take your scarf off.'

"I was taken aback by that. I didn't know what to say so I didn't acknowledge her. I just sort of looked away.

"I did report that to my guidance teacher and the teacher who had said it insisted she didn't mean it in that way. She meant me to take all my outer wear off, in terms of jackets and scarves. But I knew it wasn't about that.

"I switched subjects afterwards so that I wasn't in that teacher's class again."

Read race attack shame of Glasgow schools