‘We are a welcoming city’: Edinburgh council chief responds after Chinese tourist punched in city centre
The leader of Edinburgh council has reassured tourists while promising to crack down on violence in the city centre
The leader of Edinburgh council has said she is “extremely disappointed” by reports of attacks on Chinese and Asian people in the city after a tourist was assaulted in Princes Street Gardens.
Jane Meagher said the council and police are committed to stamping out hate crime and reassured those visiting the city during festival season that Edinburgh remains a “welcoming and diverse” city.
The comments come after a young female Chinese tourist was punched in the face by a group of teenagers in Princes Street Gardens last Friday.
Yumin Chen, who is a student at the University of Southampton, was visiting Edinburgh for the first time with her sister when the pair were approached by five teenagers while queuing to take a picture beside the ‘Soldier Bear’ statue.
The teenagers encircled the women and punched Ms Chen in the nose as she tried to protect her sister. The 23-year-old was left with swelling and later that evening suffered a serious nosebleed.
Feeling helpless, she posted a video on her Instagram account sharing what had happened and warned other tourists to avoid the group of teenagers if they were spotted again.
After her initial post, several people contacted her with images and footage, including CCTV, of what is believed to be the same group of teenagers rampaging around Edinburgh and terrorising passers-by on other occasions.
She said numerous people came forward with reports of other Chinese and Asian people being targeted in the city centre, including an attack on a Chinese man outside Waverley Station on Saturday. There is also a video circulating online of an Asian woman being egged by a teenager on North Bridge.
Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News earlier this week, she said: “I now realise Edinburgh is super dangerous,” said Ms Chen. “After that first day, I didn’t go out again because I was too scared. If that was what they did the first time, maybe if they saw me a second time they would kill me.
“Edinburgh is nice and it’s different from Southampton but I now think it’s too dangerous. I probably won’t come back.”
Following the story, there have been further incidents reported online of verbal and physical attacks on Princes Street and North Bridge.
Condemning the attacks, Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “As the festival season begins and Edinburgh throws open its doors to visitors from around the globe, I want to take the opportunity to reaffirm our status as a proud, welcoming and diverse city.
“I read recent reports of attacks on Chinese and Asian people in the city with extreme disappointment – there is no place for race-based or any kind of violence here, and it was saddening to hear of people feeling frightened to venture outside as a result.
“Rest assured, we are doing everything we can to tackle hate and racism on our streets, and Police officers from the new City Centre Policing Unit (CCPU) are on patrol to provide a reassuring presence to visitors and residents alike.
“Ultimately, we wouldn’t be the city we are without all the people who live, visit and move here from around the world and all walks of life.”
Earlier this week, it was revealed 49 arrests had been made by a new policing unit dedicated to patrolling Edinburgh city centre after it was launched last month.
The unit, which is partially funded by money collected from Edinburgh’s new tourist tax, said the 49 people were arrested and charged with 114 offences. They said they also seized alcohol from the Hunter Square area on 47 occasions, issued 20 recorded warnings and carried out more than 200 "youth interactions".
During August, officers from the CCPU will be supported by colleagues from neighbouring divisions, as well as specialist officers including plainclothes detectives and intelligence officers.
Launching its annual summer policing campaign on Friday, Superintendent Kathryn Fairfield said: “The Edinburgh International Festival is the largest festival in the world, given the length of time it runs for, and brings to the city people from all around the globe, all of whom wish to savour the sights, sounds and experiences of the Capital during the summer.
“We’ve been running Operation Summer City for several years now and are fully aware of the demands and challenges this time of year places on the city-centre and as such, we’ll have an appropriate and proportionate policing response in place throughout August to keep people safe and respond to any incidents that may arise.
“The public can assist us with our efforts to maintain safety and reduce criminality by always keeping hold of their belongings and never leaving valuables unattended. Similarly, if you see anything suspicious, please report it immediately so we can respond.”