AN attacker tried to rip off the veil of a Muslim woman while racially abusing her, police said today.

The 37-year-old woman was crossing a busy park near Solent University in Southampton on Thursday when a white man aged in his 20s approached her.

He started shouting racial abuse and told her to remove her veil.

Police said the attacker then attempted to take the veil off, but failed as the woman managed to push him and walk away.

Pc Leigh Walker said: ''This attack was particularly degrading for the victim who has strong religious beliefs that don't allow her to remove her veil in public with men around.

''We need to put a stop to this kind of behaviour by someone who is ignorant to the diverse society that we live in.

''We will not stand for any type of racial or religious abuse and will deal with anyone who does abuse or assault people like this robustly.

''There were plenty of people in the area as it was daytime and plenty at the nearby bus stops, so lots of people must have seen what happened.''