Last week a man was sentenced for the racist abuse of a politician called Humza Yousaf. Humza is an MSP and a minister in the Scottish government. Last year he was taking part in a celebrity selling event, when people from entertainment, commerce and politics took to the streets across Britain to sell The Big Issue.
Outside Queen Street station in Glasgow, Humza (a proud Glaswegian) was abused by a man called Christopher Chisholm.
“You’re not from my country,” spat Chisholm. He then told Humza he was a “fucking benefit locust”.
The story, rightly, generated interest and anger. Humza said it wasn’t the first time he’d been on the end of such hatred but said he believed good was “drowning out” the bad. Chisholm got a community service order.
One-in-three Big Issue vendors have been attacked – verbally or physically
The story brought headlines. One of them said Chisholm was sentenced after he ‘mistook’ Humza for a Big Issue vendor. I don’t think this headline was intended to present Big Issue vendors as somehow less than other people but unfortunately the inference was there. Chisholm was racist because Humza is not white, NOT because he was selling The Big Issue at the time.
We mustn’t allow a creeping belief to grow that it’s not quite as bad to abuse a Big Issue seller as anybody else.