In a deeply unsettling incident on a London train, entrepreneur Sophia Choudry, 47, experienced racial abuse from a group of schoolchildren. The incident occurred on September 7th during her journey between Paddington and Maidenhead. Choudry shared her ordeal on LinkedIn, expressing her shock at hearing the racist slurs after 25 years.
She described being alone when four children in her carriage began shouting the word ‘p***’ repeatedly. The brazenness and laughter from the children, coupled with the apparent indifference of other passengers, left her feeling isolated. Choudry began filming the incident, and when she warned the children she would report them, they fled at the next station.
What further distressed Choudry was the reaction from some fellow passengers. One individual questioned her decision to involve the police, responding with ‘So what?’ to her explanation that the abuse was racist. Another passenger dismissed the children’s actions as harmless, even accusing Choudry of child abuse for filming them. She expressed that being dismissed and blamed for reporting racism left her feeling completely vilified.
The entrepreneur shared that the slur had not been directed at her since her childhood in Sunderland, where she endured years of racism. She emphasized that such words carry significant pain, history, and trauma, and that excusing them only normalizes such behavior.
Following the incident, Choudry reported the children to the British Transport Police (BTP). Initially, her case was closed due to a lack of identifiable suspects, but it was reopened after she provided video evidence. A BTP spokesperson stated they have a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and urged witnesses to come forward. Transport for London (TfL) has also issued an apology and is investigating the circumstances surrounding why Choudry did not receive immediate assistance.