Bus stop attack goes against trend, says Dundee mosque leader

A leading member of a Dundee mosque says the number of racial attacks in the city is falling despite the recent case of a schoolgirl being abused at a busy bus stop.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident on Balgowan Avenue in Kirkton where the girl was hit by a stone and racially abused until she boarded a bus.

But Saghir Ahmed, 42, a committee member at Dundee Central Mosque, said the attack, which was directed towards the girl by a group of four to five boys of a similar age, was unusual for the area nowadays.

He said: “I heard about this on the radio and was quite surprised as racism these days is actually quite rare.

“I’ve been living here for 35 years now, so I’ve seen racial attacks before and it used to be quite common in Dundee, but not now.

“Even then it was more verbal abuse than anything else I’ve never seen physical violence due to racism.”

Police say the boys who shouted the abuse at about 8.25am on Friday were all wearing school uniform and one had blond hair.

A girl of a similar age is thought to have witnessed the incident and confronted them about their behaviour.