Racist gangs terrorise Africans in Essex as number of attacks soar

Racist gangs have contributed to an upsurge in violent ethnically motivated attacks in the Tilbury area of Essex. Disturbingly, teenagers as young as fifteen comprise a substantial membership of these gangs.

In the first two weeks of September, three attacks were reported in the area with one attack occurring every week since July 2007. This month’s incidents included an attack on a 26-year-old student who was punched and verbally assaulted, a 41-year-old IT worker who was also physically assaulted and another man who was assaulted near the local railway station.

Inspector Mark Wheeler conceded that the violent attacks were increasing: "We've seen an annual rise in race hatred over the past few years... All the attacks have been against Afro-Caribbean people and we have increased patrol to both assure them that security is being increased and to gather intelligence about those responsible for the attacks."