Staff at an Edinburgh Lidl store have been accused of racist abuse towards Chinese students in the city.
University of Edinburgh teaching fellow Ricky Jeffrey says he's spoken to students who claim they've been prejudiced against by workers at a shop in recent months.
Dr Jeffrey told Edinburgh Live on one occasion staff could be heard complaining about Chinese customers breaking machines at tills with their bank cards, while on another occasion students were prevented from entering due to overcrowding despite other people being allowed to walk in.
He says these issues are part of a wider problem across Scotland's capital – which has been amplified since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: "I've had one-to-one conversations with students, so I know this has been going on.
"They've had people approaching them and following them in the street shouting things like 'Chinese virus' since the start of the pandemic.
"The thing is they don't often complain about it, I know the attitude is to put up with it as it's seen as being a long-term problem.
"I know they have conversations about it on social media, and they almost expect for it to happen.
"The incidents at Lidl came from two different students who I don't think even know each other. One was in February and the other was in March, but the incidents may have happened prior to that. Both happened at the same store.
"Again, these weren't complaints. I was only told about these incidents because I asked about it."
Dr Jeffrey initially highlighted the issue surrounding Lidl in a social media post, in which he accused staff of "racist abuse".
The University of Edinburgh say that Chinese students are a "valued" part of their community, and they have support services for anyone affected.
A spokesman said: "The University is saddened to hear of these allegations. More than 5,000 Chinese students study at Edinburgh and they are an important and valued part of both the University and wider Edinburgh community.
“We have a range of support services in place to ensure anyone requiring help can find it quickly and easily.”
Lidl haven't received any complaints regarding the incidents, but they want anyone who experiences abuse to contact them.
A spokesperson said: "At Lidl GB under no circumstances do we tolerate any form of discrimination or abuse and take any such behaviour extremely seriously. We would encourage all customers to contact customer services so that any allegations can be fully investigated."
