Nothing’s changed, except I’ve been driven out of the country, says Azeem Rafiq

Azeem Rafiq has told MPs the only thing which has changed in the 13 months since he first gave harrowing evidence of the racism he faced in cricket is that he and his family have been driven out of the country.

The 31-year-old, who initially blew the whistle on the discrimination he faced at Yorkshire when he appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee in November 2021, cited the Yorkshire Post’s coverage of his case as one of the main reasons his family had been driven out when he gave evidence to the same committee on Tuesday.

Journalist George Dobell, who has covered Rafiq’s case closely since he first alleged he had been the victim of racist abuse and bullying in the summer of 2020, told the MPs the Yorkshire Post had been “the voice of the racist” and had “intimidated and bullied” Rafiq.

Yorkshire Post editor James Mitchinson rejected the allegations made at the hearing by Rafiq and Dobell, and said his newspaper had “repeatedly acknowledged the racism suffered by Mr Rafiq” and had been “scrupulously objective, impartial and professional” in its reporting of the story.

Rafiq was asked to begin his evidence by giving a summary of what had changed since his first appearance.

“If I was to look at 13 months on from me opening my heart out, all that’s changed really is that me and my family have been driven out of the country. And that’s a sad element of it,” he said.

Rafiq, who moved with his immediate family to Pakistan last month, recounted incidents of abuse to the committee, including a man defecating outside his parents’ house.

“I would love to come here and tell you how much cricket has changed, but unfortunately what it feels like is that cricket is very much in denial,” he said.

“There are still a group of people out there who feel like cricket is the victim in this.”

Dobell said one of the signatories to a letter to the Yorkshire board in 2021, which called for a strong rebuttal of Rafiq’s claims and talked about the “reputational damage” his allegations were inflicting on the club, was now a member of the England dressing room as part of the non-playing support staff.

“Does that suggest (the cricket authorities) have taken it seriously?” he said.

Rafiq took aim at the coverage of his claims by his local newspaper, the Yorkshire Post, suggesting that the tenor of its reporting had helped generate the tide of abuse which forced him to leave England.

“The impact locally has been quite big,” he said.

“Every time there is an article, it creates a wave of online abuse. It’s been so sad that (in) a place I’ve called home for 21 years, at times I’ve walked down the street fearing for my life. The effect is quite big.

“I don’t feel like at any point they’ve had any balance. I spoke out and I knew I would be targeted, but the way it has impacted me and my family – my family especially – is something the Yorkshire Post should be held responsible for.”

Committee member John Nicolson asked Rafiq what he would say to the newspaper’s editor James Mitchinson if he had been in the room.

Rafiq replied: “I would like to have a conversation and hopefully get them to understand the effects of what they’ve written and the effect of that in society.

“Look,  I think I’ve said pretty clearly I think it’s had a huge impact on mine and my family’s life. It’s driven us out of the country.”

Yorkshire Post editor Mitchinson said in a statement issued to the PA news agency:  “I absolutely reject the allegations made by Azeem Rafiq and George Dobell that The Yorkshire Post enabled a culture of racism in its reporting of failings at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

“The Yorkshire Post has repeatedly acknowledged the racism suffered by Mr Rafiq and we have been scrupulously objective, impartial and professional in our reporting of the story. Our readers would expect no less from us.

“Finally, Mr Rafiq can be assured that The Yorkshire Post remains committed to diligent editing, listening to and telling all sides of the stories we cover with honesty, integrity and impartiality.”

Rafiq was widely praised after his first appearance before the committee last November for his bravery in speaking out.

The ECB charged a number of individuals in relation to Rafiq’s allegations of abuse in June, along with Yorkshire for the county’s handling of those allegations.

However, the Cricket Discipline Commission has yet to hear the case after a dispute over whether it should take place in public or private.

Rafiq said he still saw little encouragement for whistleblowers to speak out, a point reinforced by former Essex player Jahid Ahmed who has alleged he was racially abused during his time with that county.

“I don’t think much has changed to be honest. I’ve been very frustrated for over a year now since I spoke out. I received no support whatsoever from anyone really,” Jahid told MPs.

“I’m a victim, I don’t feel like I get any support from anyone at moment. Whether they care, I don’t know because it seems like I haven’t received much support.”

Jahid was asked whether he had been given assurances that the report into his allegations would be published.

He said: “I don’t know what action they will take, because there is a current player still playing who’s abused me, who has racially slurred (me) and used a lot of things to bully me throughout my whole career and they are still going.”

Essex released a statement in which it confirmed the independent investigation into Jahid’s allegations was close to completion and added: “It is the club’s intention – through a commitment to transparency – that the report will be published to its fullest extent possible.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board issued a statement following the hearing, recommitting itself to the cause of “lasting cultural change”.

“We are committed to achieving this, and have been listening carefully to today’s testimony which will play an important part in helping us understand the further work that is needed,” it read.

“Since the testimony given by Azeem Rafiq to the select committee a year ago, significant action has been taken across cricket and progress has been made in tackling discrimination and making the sport more welcoming and inclusive. But we are well aware there remains much more work to do.”

That process begins in the new year when the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket will publish its findings and recommendations, which the ECB predicted would be “challenging” but constructive.