Anti-Muslim hate crimes increase fivefold since London Bridge attacks

The London Bridge attacks have triggered a big spike in hate crimes with a significant amount of them being attacks in the street directed at British Muslims.

Figures released Thursday by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, showed a fivefold increase in Islamophobic attacks since the atrocity at London Bridge on Saturday, and a 40% increase in racist incidents, compared with the daily average this year.

The increase in recorded Islamophic incidents after the London Bridge attacks is greater than it was after the 2013 murder of Lee Rigby and after the 2015 massacre in Paris, two different sets of figures have suggested.

The nature of this rise in hate crime is also different from last year after the Brexit vote, police sources have told the Guardian. Recorded hate crime rose to 54 incidents a day versus a daily average of 38 for 2017, Metropolitan police figures covering London have shown. Recorded crime where an anti-Muslim motive was identified reached 20, while the daily average for 2017 was under four.

The trends are confirmed by figures from Tell Mama, an independent group, which recorded 66 incidents from Sunday to Tuesday reported to it rather than the police. The figures are indicative; police and community experts believe there is huge under-reporting of hate crimes.

Khan said: “I’m calling on all Londoners to pull together and send a clear message around the world that our city will never be divided by these hideous individuals who seek to harm us and destroy our way of life.”

Source: Fana News