A Cambridge local has accused Cambridge students of a racially-motivated hate crime, following an Instagram post detailing the incident which amassed over 100,000 views.

In an Instagram statement shared on 26 November which received nearly 3,000 likes, Guillotina, a black individual who lives and works in Cambridge, stated “a Cambridge student called me a [racial slur] and ran away”. The statement described them as feeling “shell-shocked“.

They claimed that, upon entering McDonalds and making a joke to their friend, a white young person standing nearby turned to their friend and shook his friends hand saying “what’s up my [racial slur]”, before fleeing immediately after.

Guillotina told Varsity they were particularly horrified at the students “making fun of the colour of my skin so openly and publicly”.

“You know what I’m going to do, make fun of this black person to his face,” they describe the behaviour of the students, and the way the comment was said “gleefully”, they continued.

Guillotina alleged that the individual who made the comment was standing amid a group of young people wearing jackets with Cambridge Lawn Tennis emblazoned across them, leading them to believe it was a group of Cambridge students.

The individual reported the alleged incident to the police as a hate crime, however claim the Cambridgeshire Constabulary denied to see it as a hate crime because the comment was not made to their face.

The incident happened early on the morning of 22 November, at around 3am.

In the statement, Guillotina condemned the lack of support or acknowledgement from the others standing around, noting there was a group of people wearing the Cambridge Lawn Tennis jackets who all witnessed the incident and ignored it, despite the fact they “all saw how distressed me and my friend were”.

The Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: “Police received a report on the afternoon of Tuesday, 25 November, that a racially aggravated public order offence, amounting to a hate crime, had been made to a man in Cambridge.

“The reported incident happened at about 3am on Saturday (22 November), in McDonalds in Rose Crescent. An investigation has now been launched and enquiries continue. Anyone with any information is urged to contact us online quoting crime reference 35/91238/25, or call 101 if you do not have internet access.

They “all were fine with it” and, Guillotina continued, “these people are meant to represent the best of Cambridge’s sports”.

One of the students, they stated, put his hands up in the air “as if to say don’t look at me”.

An Instagram reel talking through the experience, posted on Sunday (30/11), received over 133, 000 views, and nearly 10,000 likes. They describe how their Instagram account gained over 1,000 followers within a week.

Guillotina described how they have since been flooded with messages from students reporting their own similar experiences, and sharing how the statement made them feel understood.

They expressed awe at the fact “one incident produced this community and sense of unity” and have expressed hope to use the momentum to develop more of a community among queer people of colour in Cambridge.

They stated, “I feel like I have a duty for the queer people of colour to be someone who spoke out and something good happens”, and that they “just want them [the individual] to be held accountable”.

Guillotina is a drag performer and has performed at multiple Cambridge local venues and student events, including many May Balls. They describe often getting a lot of support when performing for Cambridge students, getting students running up to them after events.

A spokesperson for the Cambridgeshire Constabulary said:

“We are fully committed to tackling hate crime in our communities - working to ensure just outcomes for victims and with our partners to stop these crimes from happening in the first place.

“We have robust mechanisms in place to review hate-crimes, to ensure they are properly recorded and investigated according to law and national guidance,” they continued.

Cambridge Lawn Tennis Club was contacted for comment.