A man reportedly grabbed a woman's hijab in a city centre attack.
At around 5.05pm on Wednesday 5 January it was reported that a woman was approached by a man and a woman at Liverpool One bus station on Paradise Street, near to John Lewis and the Hilton Hotel.
It was reported that the man grabbed the victim’s hijab and attempted to engage her in conversation, asking her where she was from and speaking in Arabic.
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The victim reported that, when she got on the bus a short while later, there was saliva on the back of her hijab, which she believes was the result of the man or woman spitting at her.
The victim was shaken by the incident.
Following enquiries, officers have released images of a man and a woman they believe could assist with their investigation.
Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill said: “We believe that the man and woman pictured may have vital information to assist our enquires so if you recognise them, please come forward.
“It is utterly abhorrent to spit at someone and our investigations are ongoing to find those responsible.
“We are treating this incident as a hate crime and I would urge anyone who was at the bus stop and may have witnessed the incident, to come forward.
“Liverpool has a reputation for being a welcoming, friendly city. There is no place for hate and at Merseyside Police and we simply will not tolerate abuse towards people based on their race or religion.
“If you recognise the man and woman pictured, or have any information, then please get in touch and we will do the rest.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre with reference 22000011742.
You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org.
You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here: merseyside-third-party-hate-crime-reporting-centres.pdf.
