Man sleeps in car as 'racist' attacks force him out of his UK home

A taxi driver from Kingstanding, Birmingham, has been forced to sleep in his car despite having a flat in the area. The man, identified as Haileab Tesfay, has claimed that he has been racially harassed for the last three years by an unidentified masked man.

He said that the man vandalised his one-bedroom flat and smashed the gas and electric metres in his home.

The masked vandal even wrote the word "MOVE" on his letterbox, per a report by Birmingham Live. Tesfay has been to the police, but they have not been of much help. The police told him that they could not do anything because they could not identify the attacker.

Tesfay has continuously been paying £500 a month to the council so he does not lose the right to his flat. However, he is now "too nervous to sleep" in his own home.

"I haven't had any confidence, it's a difficult life for me, I just want a solution. My union [ACORN] is helping me now, I have a little bit more confidence but I just want a solution," he told The Mirror.

"I didn't know harassment in Birmingham until I moved to Kingstanding. They broke my door, smashed my window, smashed my gas and electric, and my car," he added.

He joined the tenant's union, ACORN Birmingham, to seek assistance. The union held a demonstration outside Birmingham City Council on Monday. The council promised to offer an alternative housing option to the man, but the man claims that he has not been offered any alternatives yet.

"A housing officer has been in contact with the tenant to discuss options including alternative and temporary accommodation in line with our allocation policy," said a Birmingham City Council spokesperson.

Meanwhile, a West Midlands Police spokesperson has said that they have received complaints in connection with the matter. They last received a report in September this year. The police have promised to take action if similar incidents take place in the future.

"We will be investigating any new reports of incidents we receive," said the spokesperson.