An official report into the death of two teenagers from Brighton paints an unpleasant picture of racism directed at their family over several years.
Abdullah and Jaffar Deghayes, who died in 2014, are referred to as siblings W and X in a serious case review published by the Brighton and Hove Local Safeguarding Children Board.
Abdullah had just turned 18 when he died and Jaffar was 17. They spent part of their childhood living in Saltdean.
Sussex Police said that they had taken the racist problem seriously and had even installed cameras and made arrests.
One youngster was cautioned but the force had been unable to obtain enough evidence to prosecute anyone.
Some racist incidents happened at about the time the boys’ uncle Omar Deghayes returned to Brighton having been held without charge in Guantanamo Bay for almost six years. He was freed in 2007.
But some incidents pre-dated this and others happened later.
The report said: “There is, according to information provided to the review, little widespread evidence of reported racism against Muslims.
“There had been – prior to the period under review – some such activity in the part of Brighton where the family lived, some of which, but not all, was targeted directly at the family following media stories about a relative.
“The children grew up in a locality in which there was a successful organised campaign in 2003 to stop the creation of a centre for asylum-seekers following both pro and anti-demonstrations.
“This had involved various people settling into strong positions sometimes aligned with anti-immigrant/anti-BAME (black and minority ethnic) agendas of other groups and political parties.
“There had been protesters dressed as Osama Bin Laden and a picture included a protester dressed in a KKK (Ku Klux Klan) style white robe.
“The appearance of anti-Islamic graffiti, in the locality where the family lived, was reported from 2007 onwards.
“This included in 2009 the use of 12in (30cm) high lettering visible from afar, stating ‘Behead all Muslims’. This deeply offensive slogan reappeared several times.”
The serious case review refers to “organised right-wing groups targeting the family”.
It said: “Other activity, while directed at the family, involved wider area disruption, such as described in a complaint to the police of incidents being to create ‘an atmosphere of hatred and mistrust’ between the family and neighbours.”
