A BBC Radio 1 presenter has been left in utter disbelief after being targeted by a group of racially abusive thugs on a train journey, with the shocking incident caught on camera.
Mary Mandefield, who graces the airwaves on both Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra, found herself threatened as she made her way from Bedford to Three Bridges on Thursday evening (April 18). She recounted how the men were aggressively “starting on” fellow passengers, spewing racist insults and even resorting to physical violence.
Taking to social media, Mary uploaded footage showing one of the men bellowing racist remarks through the train carriage, alongside a snapshot of the aggressor as bystanders attempted to calm him down, imploring him to “chill out”.
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In the brief but harrowing 10-second clip, a man can be distinctly heard declaring: “Listen, this is England. Not no foreign c*** like you f**ing lot.” The disturbing video has since racked up over 439,400 views online.
(Image: @marymandefield/X)
When confronted, one of the man’s mates tried to deflect, insisting: “It’s not about race, it’s not about race,” while his friend got confrontational with an older woman, reports the Mirror.
Accompanying her post, Mary wrote: “On the Bedford to Three Bridges train and this group of guys starting on anyone (including a woman in her 70s), racist slurs, throwing punches. As soon as he sees me filming he threatens me. I get the train everyday, easily the most horrendous journey and experience I’ve had.”
A subsequent post read: “Police called and on their way. It was a @TLRailUK train but there was a woman with a @Se_Railway jacket on who stepped in and was amazing, even though they then went for her.”
Mary later revealed that Thameslink had reached out to her, expressing hope that she was “okay” and apologising for the incident. In response to a query from a man about how the altercation began, Mary explained: “About 5 of them got on saying a guy brushed past them on the escalator. They wanted to fight him, anyone who stepped in they then turned on. Shouting and threatening people from the minute they got on the train.”
She further commented: “People can say racism isn’t a big thing anymore, but you wait until you’re being stared down by a racist shouting slurs at you (and every person of colour) when they have that eyes glazed over look and you know they could knock you out if they wanted to.”
(Image: @marymandefield/X)
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for British Transport Police informed the Mirror: “Officers were called to East Croydon railway station via a text to 61016 at around 22.59pm yesterday (18 April), following reports of a fight on board a train from Luton to Three Bridges. Officers attended and those involved were identified and taken off the service. Enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016, or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 930 of 18/04/2024.”
Mary was asked for a comment but chose not to discuss the incident. Reacting to the situation, Sam Facey, Govia Thameslink Railway’s Safety, Health and Security Director, told the same publication: “Behaviour like this is completely unacceptable and will never be tolerated. This was a horrible experience for those involved. We would like to thank railway staff who intervened and the British Transport Police officers who responded so promptly. We will continue to assist the BTP with their enquiries.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
