Peter Andre has revealed he was once told he looked “like a terrorist” by a stranger as he was waiting for a taxi in London.
The singer and TV star wrote about the incident in his latest weekly column for OK! magazine as he addressed recent tweets and footage published by Portuguese sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos, who said he had been pulled over by police for the second time in two years.
Dos Santos posted dashcam clips on Twitter, expressing annoyance and accusing the force of over-policing due to the presence of seven armed officers. The matter has been referred to the police watchdog.
In his column, Andre, whose parents are Greek Cypriot, said that while he cannot comment on whether or not Dos Santos was racially profiled as alleged, he believes “sometimes people are picked on because of the way they look”.
Detailing his own experience, he wrote: “There was one time I came out of a train station in London with a backpack on and my hood up and no taxis would stop for me.
“Eventually one guy stopped and said to me, ‘Just a word of advice, don’t have your hood up and a backpack on, you look like a terrorist’.
“He actually said those words – I couldn’t believe it and I felt really offended. Maybe it didn’t happen because of my race, but it was because of my appearance.”
Andre, who was born in London but grew up in Australia before moving back to the UK, did not say when the incident occurred.
He added: “You can’t judge a book by its cover and assume someone is doing something wrong because of how they look.”
The singer is known for hits including Mysterious Girl, Flava and Insania in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as appearances on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! And Strictly Come Dancing.
