A woman was knocked unconscious in the UK while defending a Chinese friend from a man who called her a racial slur and harassed her about the coronavirus, according to a new report.
Meera Solanki, 29, was out at the Ana Rocha Bar and Gallery in Hockley, Birmingham, with a group of friends for her birthday on Feb. 9 when a group of men called her pal Mandy Huang, 28, a “dirty C—k” and told her to “take your f–king coronavirus and take it back home,” Metro UK reported.
The problem started when a group of men inside the venue “kept coming up to me and harassing me,” Solanki told the outlet.
“He seemed to have a problem with me being an Indian girl with a multi-racial group of friends,” she said. “We tried to ignore him, even when he tried to spit at one of my friends. Towards the end of the night there [were] just the three of us girls left including my Chinese friend Mandy. The man came over again and was being aggressive, so we left, but he followed us.”
Then he allegedly spouted the offensive comments at Huang, Solanki said.
“I was shocked and angry so I shouted for him to stop and tried to push him away,” she said. But instead of stopping the abuse, she became the target and was knocked to the ground unconscious.
A witness told the Sunday Mercury that the attack was “beyond despicable” and “a totally vicious assault.”
The man suspected of carrying out a racially motivated attack of “coronavirus rage.”Birmingham PoliceCops say the man continued to make offensive comments towards her friends before calmly walking away as she lay unconscious on the ground, according to Metro.
The woman spent several hours in the hospital and then took a week off work to recover.
Authorities on Friday released photos of a man they would like to speak with in connection to the assault, the outlet reported.
He’s described as Asian, 5-foot-8, of large build and wearing a flat cap and hoodie, authorities said.
The UK has recently seen a rise in racism against Asian people as the coronavirus outbreak swells, according to Metro.
The country saw its first coronavirus-related death Thursday — a woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions.
The total number of people infected in the country surged to 116 Friday — rising by more than 30 in 24 hours. The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was “highly likely the virus is going to spread in a significant way,” according to the report.
