Indian-origin woman in UK beaten for trying to save Chinese from racist attack over coronavirus

An Indian-origin woman trainee lawyer in the UK fell unconscious after being beaten by an unidentified man when she tried to save her Chinese friend from a racist attack over coronavirus, media reports said on Monday.

The incident took place when Meera Solanka (29) from England's Solihull town was out with her friends, including her Chinese friend Mandy Huang (28) from London, celebrating her 29th birthday in Midlands region.

Solanka was knocked unconscious and hospitalised after she stepped in when Mandy was told: "Take your f****** coronavirus back home!", Birmingham Mail newspaper reported.

Mandy was accused of carrying the virus outside Birmingham's Ana Rocha Bar and Gallery on Frederick Street in the early hours of February 9.

"I was having birthday drinks with a group of girls and guys including Chinese friends. There were a group of Asian men inside the venue - one of them kept coming up to me and harassing me. He seemed to have a problem with me being an Indian girl with a multi racial group of friends.

"For some reason he got really angry with her (Mandy) and started abusing her calling her a dirty chink. He said "take your f****** coronavirus and take it back home. I was shocked and angry so I shouted for him to stop and tried to push him away," Solanki was quoted as saying by the Sunday Mercury newspaper.

"He punched me in the head, I hit the pavement and was knocked unconcious," she said.

Solanki was rushed to hospital where she was treated for concussion.

"I was so shocked and horrified by his aggressive behaviour and horrific words. As I lay unconscious he continued to threaten my friends and abuse them before walking away calmly with his group of friends who did nothing to stop him or help me," she said.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham Chinese Society said: "There has always been abuse. The virus has given some individuals a reason for that abuse."