Founder of black Scottish hiking team slams ‘racist’ white ramblers who ‘assume his group litters’
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A Scottish accountant insists he and his hiking buddies never break the rules, but are labeled strays and reported to park rangers by other hikers for being black.
Enoch Adeyemi is co-founder of Black Scottish Adventurers and often treks to the Trossachs National Park with groups of up to 60 walkers.
Dad of two has a passion for getting black people walking, but says Scotland’s wildlife is ‘very white’ and they ‘stick out’ when exploring.
He claims that some whites “assumed this is their space” and “go crazy” when they see black walkers.
The enthusiastic walker says that every group walk is plagued by incidents where white walkers make “condescending” remarks, asking them not to litter and turn off their music.
The Nigerian-born hiker also attacked park rangers, claiming they “maintain the cycle of ignorance” by taking such complaints seriously and addressing them.
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority said their rangers take the same approach to all individuals and groups regardless of ethnicity or background.
But added that they are “striving to make the National Park a place accessible and welcoming to all” and are taking Mr Adeyemi’s complaints “very seriously”.
Enoch Adeyemi, of Edinburgh, Scotland, says some white walkers treat his group differently based on race
The accountant claims he and his walking friends from Black Scottish Adventurers have been branded nest bugs and ordered by other walkers to turn off music from their speakers
Mr Adeyemi says Scotland’s wildlife is ‘very white’ and they ‘stick out’ when exploring
Mr Adeyemi from Edinburgh, Scotland said: ‘My post on LinkedIn is about the negative side of going out in the mountains.
“When we go for a walk, we don’t see other black people walking. Walking is seen as something for whites – not that there is anything wrong with that.
“White people generally walk, black people generally don’t, it is what it is.
“Whites are so used to going out and only seeing other whites, so I think it was a shock to the system when we went out walking in groups.
“So some of these people are going to complain to the rangers. Then rangers come up to us and say ‘we have received complaints that your group is making noise and soiling the floor’.
“We don’t break any rules, but because we explore the mountains our way, I think it’s a shock to the system for most people.”
The group of up to 60 walkers will wander around Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (pictured)
Recently the group went to Pentland Hills with around 60 colleagues from business partners from Black Professionals Scotland and they were able to raise over £2,000 for charities including Parkinson’s UK.
Adeyemi says his group likes to play music during their hikes, which he says is not the case for most hikers.
He said, “For most people, walking is about going up slowly and going down slowly.
“For us, we play music all the time, to the point where you don’t feel like you’re going up the mountain.
“People have confidently stopped and told us to turn off our music. I think ‘why should I turn off my music?’
‘Just because white Scots enjoy nature in a certain way doesn’t mean that black people should enjoy it in exactly the same way.
“It’s their condescending tone that they use to talk to us and tell us not to create any trash and just leave our footprints behind.
‘I recently went out with a predominantly white walking group, we have never experienced anything like that.
“There were 60 of us, but no one came up to us to tell us to just leave footprints or make condescending comments.
‘I thought ‘that was interesting, we went on a no drama walk’. We were in a big group and played music, but didn’t have any of the problems we normally get.’
Father-of-two believes he and his group have been wrongly reported to rangers because of their race
The environmentally conscious father, who always carries a plastic bag to collect his trash, believes the incidents are racially motivated, with walkers assuming black people will litter.
Mr Adeyemi said: ‘I think it has to do with the color of our skin. It’s not that we’re a big group, it’s that we’re black.
‘People see us and think ‘they are going to throw litter’.
‘I don’t know why that is. There may be a mindset that a bunch of black people getting together means they’re going to cause trouble.
“With every walk there are multiple incidents, whether it’s getting worse or hurting, it’s non-stop.
“We were supposed to just be at the lake and rangers showed up and said, ‘We’ve had noise complaints.’
“I don’t think the rangers are used to seeing people like us come and enjoy the outdoors and that’s part of the problem.
“We notice that 99% of the time the rangers come back to apologize. I’m just thinking don’t tell me sorry, when you got that complaint you should have shut it down.
In addition, he believes that cultural differences may also be at play – he says Africans tend to be more “animated” and speak louder.
After sharing a post on LinkedIn about his experience hiking in Scotland, Mr Adeyemi got a lot of support
Mr. Adeyemi shared his experiences on LinkedIn to share what the group has been through.
He said: ‘I’ve talked about this because you hear a lot of people say Scotland isn’t racist. I’m sitting there thinking ‘I think you’re high, mate’.
“I’m not saying Scotland is racist, but there are racist people in Scotland. I want to get that point across to people.
“I want people to understand what they can do to be anti-racist. When people complain or do things that are bigoted, others should speak up.
“If you can do something when you hear racist comments, you have to say ‘it’s discriminatory, it’s racist’.
“These incidents have not stopped me from going for a walk. It made me realize that society still has a long way to go.’
LinkedIn commentators came to support Mr. Adeyemi and expressed their condolences.
One wrote: ‘I’m reading this and I’m just sad. Sad because an equally simple activity of going out into the open space and enjoying the ‘wild’ is once again reminding you that you don’t belong here. It is tiring.’
Another commented: ‘This is bull***t. But unfortunately for many the reality. Each. Only. Day. Keep doing what you do and let’s keep sharing stories to show it for what it is.”
A fellow supporter wrote: ‘It is really sad to read this and it clearly shows that in Scotland we still have a long way to go to eradicate the bigots.
“Stay strong and keep enjoying the beautiful parts of Scotland, I respect your resilience in dealing with the situations you have unfortunately encountered.”
Simon Jones, Director of Environment and Visitor Services at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: ‘We are committed to making the National Park a place that is accessible and welcoming to all and the fact that a group that visits the park regularly, they have been treated differently by other visitors because of their race, we take it very seriously.
“We condemn racism in all forms and I have personally contacted Black Scottish Adventurers to find out more about their experiences.
“Our Rangers interact with hundreds of visitors, of all ages and backgrounds, every week, welcoming them and offering advice on how to enjoy their visit safely and responsibly.
‘When they receive reports about, for example, litter, the same approach is followed of dealing positively with visitors and giving advice. It is the same approach for all individuals and groups, regardless of ethnicity or background.
“We know there are barriers for minority groups to go outside.
“As part of our work to tackle those barriers, Zain Sehgal, co-founder of Boots & Beards – a charity helping Glasgow’s Asian and other ethnic minorities discover the outdoors – has joined our board of directors and advises us about improving access for less-represented groups.’