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I was shot three times by racist for wearing this Obama shirt
Danny Brierley07.10.08
A man told today how he was shot three times in the street for wearing a Barack Obama T-shirt.
Dube Egwuatu was buying a mobile telephone top-up card in a south London off-licence when the gunman confronted him and glared at the top, which carries an image of the Democrat US presidential candidate underneath the legend "Believe".
The man then launched into a tirade of racist slurs, shouting: "I f***ing hate n*****s" and urging 36-year-old Mr Egwuatu to leave the shop with him.
The man then left the shop in South Norwood but when Mr Egwuatu reemerged, the attacker was waiting for him in broad daylight with a threateninglooking dog and holding a gun behind his back.
Realising what had sparked the increasingly violent assault, the terrified Mr Egwuatu zipped up his jacket to cover the image of Mr Obama and walked to his car.
But the shaven-headed man followed Mr Egwuatu and after pulling open the passenger door pointed the gun at him.
After pleading with the man to leave him alone, the married former street warden put the keys in the ignition and turned the engine on.
The attacker then fired the gaspowered ball-bearing pistol three times, hitting the civil servant in the face, hand and shoulder.
Fearing for his life and bleeding heavily, Mr Egwuatu raced away in his car and found somewhere safe to call for help.
He was taken to hospital and later sent to have a piece of metal removed from his jaw.
Mr Egwuatu, a data analyst with Croydon Council, said: "The venom in his voice was frightening.
"He was telling me that he was going to kill me.
"I couldn't believe it was happening - and just because I was wearing an Obama T-shirt. He was trying to make me walk somewhere quieter, saying: 'I've got something for you,' and 'I'm going to kill you.'"
He added: "Obama inspires me, his educational track record alone is quite unbelievable, that is why I was wearing the T-shirt.
"I did not think for one minute it could stir up such powerful feelings of hatred and I never said a word to him."
Mr Egwuatu's wife, Angela, 35, said neither of them had experienced anything like it during their childhood in Nigeria.
Mrs Egwuatu, an immigration officer, said: "At first my feelings were pure horror and now it is pure anger.
"If he had been carrying a real gun I would have been a widow. It is just ridiculous.
"I don't know how a person's mentality works. Why would a T-shirt get you to the point where you want to shoot someone." To the untrained eye, ballbearing guns like the one used in the attack look every bit like a real firearms.
The potentially lethal weapons are often converted by criminals to fire real bullets, and can be bought easily in high-street shops and on websites.
The Met said it was investigating and that police searched a nearby house which the attacker was seen going into. No one has been arrested.
Reader views (19)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
It's disgusting and an insult how some Racist could carry out this outrageous act because of a T-Shirt with the elected President of the United States, a powerful man of colour, who has billion times the brain cells that this squirm has, or any future generation of this idiot. This fool has no brains, is lower than any beast, actually I insult the beast.
Everyone in South London, East, West and North should buy a Barack Obama T-shirt. Is this fool going to shoot everyone!
- Jacqueline D, Stockwell, London
This is very dissapointing news. That man who shot the other man should be punished by law officials and send him to jail for his outrageouse act. What is wrong with these people, It's sad how we all know that this might not get publicised the way it should simply because it was a white man. Not to get racial or anything but if it were the other way around things would have been on the news with flying colors. (But I hope im wrong)
- Del Orbe Jr., Bayonne New Jersey
And to think that racism was on the decline. Thank God Dube didn't die cos all hell would have broken loose.
- Chijioke Umeasiegbu, Abuja
It is quite sad to know that we need to think carefully,
how we dress so that we don't offend the person next to us.
To be safe we need to keep certain things within ourselves.
People will judge you on your code of dressing, body language and the actual words spoken - so think carefully!
- J, London
Well this guy is obviously mentally ill and could just have easily turned on anybody who caught his eye;just one more reason why London is so dangerous with the amount of psychotics walking the streets waiting to push some unfortunate under a tube or stab someone to death. His racism is secondary to the fact that he is out on the streets and has access to a ball-bearing gun.
- Squiz, Islington
Frank,
You forgot to include Arsenal FC
- Chris, London
Is anyone really surprised?
We have "Black Month", black awards for people who have NOT committed crimes (go figure), the black only awards (MOBO), the black only police federation who are instructing blacks not take responsibility in this society and join the force, a black only Law Society, a minority-centric politically-correct government, corrupt black officials who worked for the last major wanting black only schools, employment policies which state a certain percentage of employees have to be black, a media, especially the BBC, who "positively" discriminate against whites, cannot remember the last new reporter or presenter who was white, open days for the fire brigade for blacks only, and on and on ...
Funny I thought we were supposed to fighting for equality? Isn't the idea that someone's colour should not matter?
Quite frankly as one of the 90% white populace, I am sick to death of it. Racism is a two way street by the way and this PC media, will never report racist attacks of black on white.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Ab, I was going to say the same thing. Aesir please re^read the story and then re^read your comment. Exactly when does an incident qualify as racial assualt to you? When the perpetrator say 'Now, I'm going to racially assault you?' Unless this is an inaccurate account of what happened, I believe this was clearly a racially motivated attack.
- Nicky, Geneva
Why do these comments not surprise me? Clear racist attack and folks are trying to reverse it. SMDH. What is happening to London? Obviously the thought of an president of African descent is making folks quake in their SUV's. Shame on you all. This man could have lost his life, yet all you seem to be interested in is trying to justify the perpetrators behaviour. Which part of 'I hate ******' did you not understand?
- Zora, London
This is an extremely sad situation of a hate crime against a man who is simply supporting the greater good (yea, i dislike Republicans, you've screwed the US over enough with a piss-less was a terrible act of assault.
And as for the claim at the bottom saying how these guns are converted to fire real bullets, that is simply not true. Even if you did, firing a single round would not fire correctly, considring the inside gearing would break. I've been playing Airsoft for almost 5 years, i know what you can and cannot do with even a full metal (inside and out) airsoft gun.
I just want this election to be over, they started these political ads in January. I'm just tired of hearing about it. But this case is just inexcusable.
Oh, and screw you Sarah Palin, you're a complete hyocryte to the Republicans claim of "Obama is too young, and too inexperianced", when Palin herself is even younger than Obama and less experienced than him. Just leave the election.
Peace.
- Tom, USA
A very unfortuante incident, but one that will not be helped by scare stories about airguns. Your correspondant claims "the potentially lethal weapons are often converted by criminals to fire real bullets, and can be bought easily in high-street shops and on websites" - where is the evidence for this assertion, other than urbans myths leaked by the police ?
- Stephen Curtis, London, UK
It's so sad that people are missing the point. Dube was shot 3x and the racial slurs were unbelievable. Whether a person chooses to wear an obama or palin tee shirt or whatever, doesn't or shouldn't give any1 reason to want to shoot you etc. My prayers are that the crazed gunman is apprehended asap because as long as he's out there running loose, this wicked and unfortunate incident can re-occur and who knows, the next 'f****g n*****r'(gunmans words) may not be so lucky. RACISM IS REAL whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.
- Ij, London
People who hate are going to hate, using any excuse that's handy at the time. Playing it up as though it must include everyone who is white because a white guy was that moronic is racist in and of itself. It works the other way around too - all black people get blamed for the morons and ne'er-do-wells in their numbers.
People are just too lazy to think about judging individuals according to merit or otherwise. They leave others to do their thinking for them by following stereotype accusations (the comments here and elsewhere about Palin in the USA are no different in content than those that describe Obama as a Muslim - they're designed to group categorize and diminish, nothing more).
Talk about what IS rather than what someone else has told SHOULD be believed. Look at the politics and declarations of politicians rather than party political biased rhetoric that automatically puts down anything the target might say. Use your brains!
Do I like Obama? No. Not because he's non-white (the knee-jerk claim of pro-Obama fanatics) - but because he is a socialist. I don't like socialism. Its simple enough.
- Rogan, DFW TX
Aesir, i think you missed the bit about "I ****ing hate n*****s" I think that maybe racism but im not sure. And he got shot 3 times with a pellet gun, so i think thats assault but again im not sure.......
- Ab, London
i had a black guy try and spit in my face and threaten to kill me because he wanted to undertake me in an unsafe manner on a single lane road. does this count as a racist assault? i believe he might have also referred to my ethnicity too. the guy who attacked the gentleman is clearly an idiot. end of.
- Aesir, London
The hate that hitler spread across europe in his day, is the same that bush spread against muslims. The republicans have branded Obama as one, in which is not true. If he were a republican they would praise him like Condi Rice. Palin is a bold force, who is pushing the hate along, with her immuture school girl, going to college, ways, flaunting herself across the stage, in a very unbecoming manner for a women her age.
It's sad that people , who call themselves Christians, have so much Hate within.
- Marta Kaye, usa
As the prospect of a Black President gets closer and closer poor white working class people in the UK will become more fearful.
Some cannot stomach the prospect of a Black Man being President of USA even though evidently, the status & prestige of the USA is clearly in decline with the economic crisis.
I expect that as the depressionary effects bite in the UK that we see the usual suspects of the BNP and far right groups blaming anyone but the creators of the crisis.
- Duane, London
While this was indeed a horribale and vile racist attack, my only concern is that the media would have you think that racist attacks only happen to people of colour. This approach is racist itself as many whites are also subject to racist attacks in London and across the nation. The media needs to cover all race attacks if it wants to cover the news in a fair and balanced way.
- Brandon Thomas, London UK
i am not suprise to hear this. i knew this going to happen from the first day i hear about Obama. i don't believe to racism i do believe to ignorance. if the world goes in circle why not people?
this is the beginning any one who support THE LEGAL AND TRUST PRESIDENT OF USA may encounter this. but WE BELIEVE.
- Becken, London
