Taiwanese Woman Randomly Assaulted by Teenagers in London... Police Slow to Respond

Woman in Her Twenties Assaulted by Group of White Teenagers
Police Say, "We Do Not Respond Unless There Is an Immediate Threat to Life"

In London, England, a Taiwanese woman in her twenties was assaulted by a group of teenage girls, sparking controversy over the police's delayed response.

The Central News Agency (CNA) of Taiwan reported on the incident experienced by Ms. Chen (25), who has been living in the United Kingdom for two years, on September 20.

At the time, Ms. Chen was on her way home after getting off a bus in the evening when she encountered four white female teenagers, estimated to be around 17 to 18 years old. One of them bumped into Ms. Chen's shoulder, and the others confronted her, asking, "Why did you bump into my friend?" Ms. Chen apologized, saying "I'm sorry," in an attempt to defuse the situation, but the group pushed her and assaulted her with their fists and feet.

London street. The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. Pixabay

Ms. Chen asked the bus driver to call the police, but the driver left the scene. As a result, Ms. Chen was left on the ground being assaulted until her friends arrived, called an ambulance, and took her to the emergency room. Although her injuries were not serious and she was discharged the same day, she sustained bruises on her face and body.

The main issue was the police response. Despite Ms. Chen reporting the incident immediately, the police did not arrive at the scene for over an hour. When her friends reported the incident again, they were told, "We do not respond unless there is an immediate threat to life." Ms. Chen explained, "It was only about three hours after the incident that I was finally contacted by the police."

Afterwards, Ms. Chen posted photos of her face and described the situation on social media, expressing her frustration by asking, "Should I just chalk up this absurd incident to bad luck?" She also urged, "If you are a Taiwanese person living in the UK and face a similar situation, be sure to use the London Metropolitan Police's 'hate crime reporting platform.'"

As the controversy grew, the London Metropolitan Police issued an official statement on September 23, saying, "We understand the pain the victim experienced and agree that our initial response did not meet expectations." They added, "We will continue to investigate this case as a possible racially motivated hate crime."