Chichester District Council says it is 'deeply saddened' by Munya Chawawa's account of racism and homophobia in the city. What it said, and what police have on record.

Chichester District Council has said racism, homophobia and discrimination “have no place in our district”. It was responding to the actor and comedian Munya Chawawa, who has spoken about what he and others experienced in the city during his time here.

Chawawa played Bottom in Chichester Festival Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which closed on 17 October. He described his experience in a video on his Instagram account after the run ended.

What the council said

The council published its statement on Wednesday 21 October. It is short, and we carry it in full:

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the experiences described by Munya Chawawa during his time in Chichester. Everyone should feel safe, welcome and respected, and to hear accounts of racism, xenophobia, homophobia and discrimination is incredibly upsetting. These behaviours are completely unacceptable and have no place in our district or our communities.

“The vast majority of people who live here share our values of kindness, respect and inclusion, and want our communities to be places where everyone feels they belong. While we know that the overwhelming majority of people who live and work here share these values, any instance of discrimination is one too many.

“We are committed to promoting equality, inclusion and opportunity for all, and to working closely with our partners, community organisations and residents to ensure that everyone who lives in, works in, or visits our district feels safe, valued and respected.”

The statement does not say what the council will do next. It names no new measures, funding or meetings.

What the police have published

Sussex Police has published two statements this month about homophobic hate crimes in the city centre. Neither statement mentions the theatre, the production or its cast, and the force has not linked the two incidents to each other.

  • 13 October, Little London car park. A man in his 20s was followed and verbally abused by a group of young men on bicycles at about 6pm. A 16-year-old boy was arrested and bailed. The force set this out in a statement on 16 October.
  • 1 October, South Street. An 18-year-old was headbutted between 3am and 4am. The force released a CCTV image of a man it wants to identify in an appeal on 20 October, quoting serial 1307 of 01/10.

The force is treating both as homophobic hate crimes. Neither statement reports a charge.

We have not found a statement from Chichester Festival Theatre on its own website. We have not reported claims from Chawawa’s video that no first-party source has confirmed.

What it means for you

  • If you were abused or threatened in Chichester because of your race, nationality, sexuality, religion, disability or gender identity, you can report it to Sussex Police through its hate crime reporting page, by calling 101, or on 999 in an emergency.
  • If you would rather not go to the police directly, the same page lists organisations that can make or support a report for you.
  • If you saw either incident above, contact Sussex Police using the details in its statements. For the South Street appeal, quote serial 1307 of 01/10.