Police are investigating after footage appeared to show two men racially and homophobically abusing train passengers before getting off at Elephant and Castle.
The tirade caught on camera by ex-copper, Adam Pugh, appears to show one of the men threatening Mr Pugh after he allegedly asked him to stop calling a black person “monkey” and another passenger a “poof.”
The anti-racism campaigner told the News he was helping a woman with a pushchair down the stairs at Bellingham Station on June 21 when he heard two men shouting – reportedly using the racial slurs, ‘w**’ and ‘n*****’.
When he turned the corner, he says he saw the two men throwing abuse at a black man on the platform.
When a mum with her young child intervened, the 33-year-old says the pair turned on her too, calling her a ‘fat c***’ and a ‘dyke’.
Another man who also intervened, at which point one of the men filmed wearing a high-vis jacket allegedly called him a ‘queer’.
The two men got off the Thameslink service to Blackfriars at Elephant and Castle station, but reportedly continued abusing passengers as the train travelled through Denmark Hill.
Warning: video contains strong language…
A British Transport Police spokesperson told the News they were investigating the alleged abuse, and confirmed they were called at the time.
“BTP was called at 12.01pm on 21/06 following an incident where two men are reported to have shouted racist and homophobic abuse at passengers at Bellingham train station,” said a spokesperson for the force.
“They then continued to shout similar abuse as the train travelled towards Denmark Hill.”
Police said their inquiries into the abuse were ongoing.
Anyone with information or who knows the identity of those involved is urged by police to contact them by texting 61016 and quoting reference 212 of 21/06/19.