"IN Worcester I'm proud to say a happy relationship has been maintained with all the local communities. This is the good message for the rest of the country, who should follow the positive example" - so said Nurul Haque of Worcestershire Racial Equality Council at the group's annual meeting last year, in the wake of racist violence around the country following the September 11 attacks.

Praise indeed. But the shocking story on today's Page 5 should serve as a reminder that racism - at least on an individual basis - is alive and well in Worcester.

The unprovoked attack on father-of-three Parvez Iqbal should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who thinks racism is a thing of the past.

Talk to any Asian taxi driver who plies his trade in Worcester on a Friday or Saturday night and they will have tales to tell of unprovoked abuse because of their race.

Yes, good work has been done to eradicate racism in our community - by schools, voluntary groups, the police and, of course, Worcestershire Racial Equality Council.

Yes, we are further down the road to a multi-cultural society, based on tolerance and understanding, than we were, say, 20 years ago.

But incidents like this, when a man is punched, kicked and head-butted in the street just because he has brown skin, mean that there is still a long way to go.

We should not stick our heads in the sand but redouble our efforts to ensure such ignorant racism is not a part of our community's future.