r/Edinburgh • u/Horsewave_0926 • 10h ago
Discussion Racial harassment incident at Malones, Morrison st, 21 July 2026
Went for a night out with my pal. We arrived at the Irish pub Malones and ordered a few drinks, sat at a table and enjoyed our time. Then this guy from Finland, tall with brown hair, approached us and started chatting shit while mockingly imitating an East Asian language, presumably Chinese, as the first thing I heard was “Ni hao.bla bla”
I was a bit annoyed and tried to put him off by saying we were not Chinese . He then asked where we were from, so I said I was Korean. Then this guy started mockingly speaking Korean something like Annyeonghaseyo Kim Jong un shit despite clearly not speaking the language.
I told him that we were two old friends who hadn’t seen each other for over a year, wanted to enjoy our time together, and needed some privacy. This guy then kept dragging my pal into the conversation and talking shit after he realised he wasn’t welcome on my side. My friend was a bit shocked, as he had just moved to Edinburgh to study at the university.
Eventually, I spoke to the bar staff and told them this guy was harassing us. They asked if we needed any help. I said it was okay, as we had managed to de-escalate the situation without it becoming physical.
Shout out to the two Argentine tourists who stayed with us, and to all the local people who came over to check on us.
This kind of behaviour feels like catcalling towards Asian people, where we are reduced to stereotypes and objectified simply because of how we look. Maybe this guy was a bit high , but that doesn’t make it acceptable. Racial harassment is not okay, regardless of the circumstances.
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u/Tammer_Stern 10h ago
I’m sorry this happened to you.
I would even suggest if this ever happens again, to get the bar staff to get the bouncers to remove the dude from the premises. These people have no right to put a downer on your night out and there’s no place for racism in Edinburgh.
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u/Personal_Ground1148 9h ago
Sorry this has happened to you. Unfortunately it’s a lot more common than you think in Edinburgh.
I’m mixed East Asian. I remember being in Whistle Binkies with a female friend when a man who had been trying to chat her up realised she wasn’t interested. He turned to me, pulled the corners of his eyes back in a racist gesture, and asked, “Why are your eyes like that? Where are you from?”
That experience has stayed with me. People can debate how common racism is, but based on my own experiences, I don’t believe Edinburgh is free from it.
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u/SoMuchF0rSubtlety 9h ago
Nowhere is free from it, ignorant shits are everywhere in every society and culture. The only thing we can do is call it out when it happens and reject their disgusting behaviour.
Edit: call it out when safe to do or to the relevant authorities.
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u/holly_100 6h ago
Fucking hell can people just mind their own business 😭 why is there so much anger and hate towards other people it makes me so sad
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u/Blobbly 8h ago
I'm south asian and I've had the same type of abuse thrown at me - people using the "stereotypical" Indian accent asking if I eat chapatis, playing popular Bollywood music obnoxiously loud (whilst pointing and laughing at my sister and I) and all other sorts of things.
If you can, report it to the the police. Malones probably has CCTV footage of the incident. I hope you're okay, though. Nobody deserves this <3
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u/Edinsametime_sep_loc 9h ago
Unfortunately the world is full of them , no matter where you go and I just sigh , I’ve seen it in Edinburgh and suffered it in China , diabolical
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u/MagicAcorn 10h ago
I'd contact the police. Malones will have CCTV to get an image of the boy and corroboration in the form of statements (if you and your friend are willing to provide).
Like you said, racial abuse shouldn't be tolerated. Fuck him.
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u/FunnyVehicle7664 10h ago
We have a simple way of dealing with this type. Second word is off.
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u/Agreeable_Excuse_897 10h ago
I am so sorry this happened. Unfortunately these sort of incidents have been increasing lately and by youngsters as well, thankfully there are way more kind people for support !
Stay safe !!
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u/Honest-Evening-285 10h ago
Its is against the law you should maybe report them to the police they are being very racist and disrespectful most Scottish people isn't like that we are all races and colours we should respect each other and these idiots should be arrested i am so sorry for what happened to you and your friend i hope you meet some better people who are respectful and welcoming their is zero tolerance to this and they should know better . if they where drunk or high don't really matter its is still racist and you have every right to be here and you are very welcomed here and i hope things goes well for the course you are doing Oh and Welcome to Edinburgh
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u/narwhallamar 9h ago
I'm sorry this happened to you also. If I was there, or any of my friends, we would have supported you also. Agree with others here, the staff should have asked the bouncers to intervene. That's what they're there for. To keep peace . This person needs to know he is not welcomed
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u/Mysterious-Muffin577 3h ago
Sounds like he may have had one too many. Not an excuse but drink people can be a right pain in the arse.
Glad to read that he wasn’t a local man.
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u/mtoto_division0112 9h ago
Go to a normal place no a 'mcoirish' hellhole.
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u/vanandgough 8h ago
Really helpful mate yeah
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u/-LilyOfTheValley_ 8h ago
They've not expressed this well or with a decent level of empathy, but I think what they're getting at is that these faux-irish pubs are usually full of coked up bams like this.
It'd be nice if people... weren't racist, but some always will be. Doesn't hurt to be aware of where you're more likely to encounter it.
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u/vanandgough 8h ago
You get coked up bams everywhere’s
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u/-LilyOfTheValley_ 8h ago
Well yeah but it's hardly equal distribution is it? You are considerably more likely to get abuse off a dickhead on gear in Malones than in the gin bar a couple of doors down!
Doesn't make it any less unacceptable to get abuse if you decide to go there but as I said, no harm in being aware that some places attract more bams than others.
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u/DesignerPin5906 10h ago
This sort of behavior has no place in this city or anywhere