The heartbroken owners of a Chinese takeaway in York have been left devastated after their business was targeted with racist graffiti. The vile messages, which included the words “go home” and a version of the St George’s Cross, were discovered on the front of Dragon House on Foxwood Lane on Friday morning.
The attack came at the end of a week that saw St George’s Crosses sprayed on a roundabout and zebra crossing in Tang Hall. It also followed a flag-flying campaign that had seen flags attached to streetlights across Britain.
‘Truly Heartbroken’
The owner of the takeaway took to Facebook to express their sadness, writing that they felt “truly heartbroken” by the “blatant discrimination, and it hurts deeply.”
The owner added that the business had been “serving this community for more than 10 years” and that she believed her community was “stronger than hate.”
“I hope everyone will stand together against this kind of behaviour,” she said.
The post was met with a flood of support, with hundreds of people commenting with messages of encouragement. The owner later posted that she was “moved to tears” by the kindness.
Community Heroes
Local window cleaner Isaac Davidson, who lives nearby, saw the distraught owner and immediately offered to help. He told The Press that he thought the graffiti was “disgusting” and that he would “come back after my shift and I’ll get rid of it for you.” A video of his clean-up efforts has since gone viral on social media.
Councillor Andrew Waller, the ward councillor for Westfield, said he was “horrified” by the graffiti but “pleased by the community’s response.” He added that the graffiti “is not reflective of the Foxwood area” and that the response has shown that “real community support that exists.”
Other local figures, including Joseph Moulton of the York Flaggers and Litter Pickers campaign, also joined in the clean-up and condemned the graffiti.
Police Investigation
North Yorkshire Police have launched a criminal investigation and are working to identify the three suspects who were seen on CCTV spray painting the graffiti on the front of the takeaway at around 1:00 BST on Friday.
A police spokesperson said, “Our officers are actively developing intelligence and lines of enquiry to identify the suspects and ensure they face appropriate consequences for the crimes that have been committed.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting reference number 12250163150.
