Reports have been flooding in of Black people across the United States receiving disturbing text messages referencing slavery and “picking cotton”, following Donald Trump’s presidential election win. These racist messages have been reported in over a dozen states, including California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama, as per CNN. The messages, sent anonymously, instructed recipients to report to a “plantation” or board a bus, sparking widespread alarm and prompting investigations by the FBI and other agencies.

The messages often instruct recipients to report to a specific address, sometimes mentioning the incoming presidential administration. Some even target children, with reports of middle school students receiving these hateful messages. For instance, a 16-year-old girl in California received a text directing her to report to a “plantation” in North Carolina.

A friend in San Francisco received this racist text today, and after looking on social media, it seems many Black people are receiving it too. pic.twitter.com/eDyFf3a6Ix

— John Ryan E (@RyanElward) November 7, 2024

The FBI is working with the Justice Department to address these incidents, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating alongside federal and state law enforcement. TextNow, the platform through which some of these messages were sent, told CNN this is a “widespread, coordinated attack”. 

FBI Statement on Offensive and Racist Text Messageshttps://t.co/vpQYAO6LT7 pic.twitter.com/iDtN36WhX4

— FBI (@FBI) November 7, 2024

”TextNow is working alongside our industry partners to uncover more details and continue to monitor patterns to actively block any new accounts attempting to send these messages. We do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future,” the company said. 

Civil rights organisations, including NAACP, one of the largest Black civil rights organisations in the US, have condemned these messages. The Southern Poverty Law Center has also weighed in, calling the messages “deeply disturbing” 

”We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – there is no place for hate in a democracy. The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a press release. 

Whoever is sending the racist text messages is using anonymizing software to obscure their location, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told CNN on Friday. 

A group of more than 10,000 black cab drivers is suing Uber after accusing it of breaching taxi-booking rules in London, in a move which could cost the ride-hailing giant more than $313 million.

A group action claim has been filed in the High Court over Uber’s operations in the capital between May 2012 and March 2018.

The cab drivers claim that Uber misled Transport for London (TfL) over how it operated its ride-booking system and therefore breached private hire licensing rules.

They allege that the company allowed its drivers to accept bookings directly from customers, rather than going through a central system like minicab services.

The legal claim says that this booking system was “unlawful” because it did not comply with private hire rules, and that Uber deliberately misled TfL about how the system worked in order to get its licence.

The cab drivers say that during this time they suffered losses as a result of having fewer customers or having to work longer hours to compete with the popular app.

RGL Management has filed the group action, known as BULiT21, on behalf of the London cabbies, who are being instructed by solicitors at law firm Mishcon de Reya.

It is anticipating that the total claim value could be more than 250 million pounds, with each cab driver’s claim worth up to 25,000 pounds.

A spokesman for Uber said: “These old claims are completely unfounded.

“Uber operates lawfully in London, is fully licensed by TfL, and is proud to serve millions of passengers and drivers across the capital.”

It is understood there has been no communication between Uber and RGL Management since the claims were first raised in 2019.

RGL Management said it thinks up to 30,000 cab drivers who operate in London could be eligible to join the group and make a claim against Uber.

It is appealing for more drivers to join the action in the coming weeks.

Michael Green, the director of RGL Management, said: “RGL is pleased to file this claim form today on behalf of over 10,500 London cabbies, a major legal milestone in holding Uber to account for its failure to comply with the relevant legislation in the UK’s capital.

“There are still thousands of cabbies eligible to join who have not yet done so. A cut-off date is fast approaching.

“RGL, therefore, urges drivers to register with the BULiT21 legal action as soon as possible to join with thousands of fellow cabbies in the pursuit of losses suffered at the hands of Uber.”

Garry White, a black cab driver for 36 years, said the claim seeks “justice and fair compensation” on behalf of London drivers.

“Uber seems to believe it is above the law and cabbies across London have suffered loss of earnings because of it,” he said.

Uber has previously faced issues over its licence to operate private hire vehicles in London.

It was denied a licence by TfL in 2019, over concerns that passenger safety had been breached and there were issues around transparency.

But it was allowed to continue operating and then in 2022, it was granted a two-and-a-half-year licence in London.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

A Black millionaire and celebrity jewelry consultant has claimed that he was denied entry into a popular London bar, because of his colour Independent reported. Notably, 30-year-old Lamar Berko who has worked with some of the world’s biggest stars including David Beckham, Burna Boy, Steff London, Wizkid, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Joey Essex, accused the establishment of racially profiling him. 

The incident happened last week when the entrepreneur, who runs LB Jewellery, showed up at 100 Wardour Street in Soho, West End, with eight Black friends, but wasn’t allowed to enter. He said that the restaurant gave them conflicting reasons, with one door attendant saying things like there were ”too many men” among them. The group was later told the venue was packed, even though he said the bar was nowhere near capacity.

However, as they stood outside the restaurant, they noted several white people being admitted.

When he told the employee he felt racially profiled, he was told, ”I don’t judge by the race, just by the person.” Mr. Berko even offered to purchase tables worth 10,000 pounds, however, his request was still denied. 

”I didn’t even ask the price of the tables – but this was turned down. What reason would they really have to say no? I wasn’t causing trouble or shouting; I didn’t flare up or swear,” Mr Berko explained. 

Speaking of his brush with racism, he said, ”In my field, I’m used to dealing with racism. In this country, it’s always indirect and never direct. For example, I’ve been stopped by the police so many times for no reason other than the car I drive.”

”But I could not believe my eyes when the staff member took my friends and out of the queue – making everyone look at us as if we were troublemakers – then let in all white people and not us. I haven’t slept; I felt so violated,” Mr Berko added. 

After Mr. Berko’s allegations went viral, several people thronged 100 Wardour Street’s Instagram page and criticised them. The restaurant later posted photographs of Black women in their stories, which many including Lamar Berko felt was making a ”mockery” of the issue. 

A user on one of their posts wrote, ”Racism in 2023! This is extremely disappointing!!! And it seems whoever is running this account fails to see the severity of the issue. Posting black people on your story is a complete mockery.”