Addressing Hate and Building Community: Our Experience at Barnard Park in Islington
In recent times, incidents of racism and anti-social behavior have unfortunately become an unwelcome reality in public spaces across the UK. Recently, a distressing event unfolded at Barnard Park in Islington, highlighting the urgent need for increased awareness, action, and community solidarity. Here, we share our experience as members of an amateur Chinese women’s football team, with hopes to shed light on the problem and inspire meaningful change.
An Unexpected and Disturbing Encounter
Our team, known as the Screamer Alliance Women’s Football Club, had booked a pitch at Barnard Park in advance. Upon arrival, we discovered a group of approximately 20 teenagers occupying our reserved space. When we politely requested they vacate the field and presented our booking confirmation, they refused and began mocking us, suggesting that we could not read because we are not British.
Although they moved to the side after we started setting up, they continued to interfere—displacing our nets and confining us to a small section of the field within the penalty box—despite not having paid for the use of the facilities. Throughout our session, they remained on the sidelines, directing racist slurs and derogatory insults at us.
The situation escalated at the end of our session: the group took our ball and kicked it aggressively towards our players, laughing and shouting offensive words such as “chink,” “bitch,” and telling us we “don’t belong here.” One of our teammates was even kicked in the head while attempting to change, falling to the ground in tears.
Immediate Response and Police Involvement
Frightened and upset, we contacted the police. The park manager, who witnessed the events and attempted to intervene, provided a statement and had previously reported the incident to his superiors. The police arrived, took our statements, and formally classified the case as ‘anti-social behaviour.’ However, we believe this incident constituted a hate crime, given the racist intent and physical aggression involved.
This experience was deeply upsetting, as we have always felt welcomed in the park, where we are often greeted warmly as East Asian women. Unfortunately, this event shattered that sense of safety and community.
Seeking Justice and Support
We are actively seeking advice on how to proceed since the police did not initially classify this as a hate crime. We have documented the incident with photographs and are exploring avenues for further action. If