NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE...
DUNFERMLINE TAXI DRIVERS WANT A STAND AGAINST RACIAL ABUSE
Taxi drivers in Dun- fermline are having to put up with shocking racial ab- use. According to the Dunfermline Press, the paper has has been shown dis- gusting dashcam footage of two inci- dents which took place in Dunfermline over Christmas where drivers were sub- jected to aggressive, abusive behaviour. In one case, a driver, who wanted to re- main anonymous, had his meter pulled out and his wind- screen smashed when a woman kicked off in the early hours because she had been asked for payment up front.
The driver was heard shouting: “Help me, help me” during a struggle and was then called a “f****** P*** b******” by the woman as she left. The Press has also seen footage where another driver is branded a “cheating f****** black b******” and a “black P*** b******” after a dis- pute over a tariff. The driver did not want to talk about the experience. Police Scotland has confirmed they are investigating the former incident. The driver involved expressed shock at what had happened at the Carnegie Drive taxi rank.
“It is my job and my family’s survival,” he said. “I am unable to work because the vehicle is parked in front of my house. Due to holidays, no- one is there to fix the windscreen. This is our busiest time, how much will I have lost? “I still don’t believe that this has hap- pened in Dunferm- line. I was still think- ing Dunfermline is a very peaceful area.” One Dunfermline taxi firm owner said he felt such inci- dents were on the increase. “At the end of the day, it is just some people – they have the drink and stuff comes out,” he said.
“We are still hum- ans. It happens more to us Asian drivers. The reason we are speaking up is it is getting worse by the day. When I first started on the taxis, it never used to be this bad. Something must have happened that has led to this. “It is time to step up because if we let it go every time it will become acceptable. “Every day we are worried. We want people to know how we are suffering from this. It impacts on everything.” West Fife Taxi Asso- ciation chairperson John Aitchison ex- pressed sadness at
what had happened. “These are licensed cabs and licensed drivers – if we step out of line, we are accountable and can lose our badge,” he said. “With mem- bers of the public, there is not that accountability so it has to be reported to the police.” Nina Munday, man- ager of the Fife Centre for Equali- ties, told the Press: “More recently, there’s been a rise in that kind of racial hatred.
“Because there has been a time when we saw less of this racial bullying of taxi drivers, maybe more recently there has
been tension around because of all the political debates. Somehow it creates in some people a mindset that they can say anything at all. We should not accept any of this as they are hate crimes.” Dunfermline Central councillor Garry Hal- dane said: “Our taxi drivers give us all a very important ser- vice and work long, anti-social hours to give us a level of service bettered by no-one. To be abused for helping someone get home is disgusting. “This is something society should not be tolerating, never mind taxi drivers.”
18
FEBRUARY 2020
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