Entrepreneur racially abused by youths on London Elizabeth line as bystanders stay silent
A 47-year-old businesswoman says she was targeted by four children on the Elizabeth line; police are investigating and no arrests have been made.
An entrepreneur was racially abused by a group of four children on London’s Elizabeth line on Sept. 7, according to the victim and British Transport Police. Sophia Choudry, 47, was traveling home alone from Paddington to Maidenhead when the youths began shouting racial slurs and laughing at her.
Choudry said she pressed the emergency button to seek help, and the train briefly stopped. She was told by officers to alight at Hayes and Harlington, where they would meet her, but she says no officers arrived and she ultimately left Hayes and Harlington, boarding again to Slough where her husband collected her. The incident reportedly involved the children trying to exit the train as police were being alerted, and there was no immediate assistance for Choudry as the doors closed and the train resumed.
Detectives believe the children also left the train at Hayes and Harlington station. Officials say Choudry did not want to file a formal statement, and no arrests have been made as investigators continue to gather information. Transport for London (TfL) said it was deeply sorry for the incident and that it is urgently investigating the circumstances, working with British Transport Police to determine what happened. The BTP spokesperson noted that officers received a report around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, of a woman being racially abused on an Elizabeth Line train and that the children were reported to have left the train at Hayes and Harlington; inquiries are ongoing and witnesses are encouraged to text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40 with reference 567 of 7 September.
The latest TfL data indicate a rise in hate-crime reporting on the Elizabeth line, up nearly 50 percent last year, with a 28 percent increase across the broader London transport network. TfL emphasized a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of abuse and harassment and said it would continue to investigate the incident while working with police.
Choudry, who described the episode as painful and isolating, said it invoked memories of childhood experiences and underscored the ongoing impact of racism. She has said her aim is to raise awareness and deter such behavior by documenting what happened and pushing for accountability, noting that it is not enough to dismiss incidents as “kids being kids.”
Authorities reaffirmed that hate crimes on public transit are taken seriously and that investigations remain active. TfL urged anyone who witnessed the incident to cooperate with investigators, and BTP reiterated its commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and to pursuing all available lines of inquiry.