UK: Islamophobia soars after New Zealand terror attack

LONDON

Anti-Muslim hate crimes have soared across the U.K. in the aftermath of the New Zealand terror attacks, a monitoring group found.

Tell Mama, an NGO that documents Islamophobic incidences in the U.K., reported Sunday that anti-Muslim hate crime increased by 593 percent in the U.K. in the week after the Christchurch shootings in which 50 Muslim worshippers were murdered by a right-wing terrorist.

“This shows that some people see Muslims as fair game for hate and it is now clear that we have an ongoing and persistent ideology of hate that is generating a focus on Muslims,” said Iman Atta, director of Tell Mama.

“Muslims in New Zealand were killed and British Muslims feel the anger of bigots. It is perverse,” she added.

According to the monitoring group, 95 incidences were reported between March 15, the day of the New Zealand attacks, and March 21. Some 85 incidences, 89 percent of the total, directly referenced the New Zealand attacks and featured gestures that mimicked firearms and guns being fired at Muslims.

Muslims in north London, Southampton Oxford have reported verbal abuse being directed towards them, including intimidating gestures that include gun gestures and bullet noises. In other incidences of verbal abuse, Muslims were told that “you need to be shot” and that “Muslims must die”.

On March 16, the day after the terrorist attack, a teenager was stabbed by a 50-year-old man, an incident the police say bears the “hallmarks of a terror event” that was inspired by the far-right.

Furthermore, four mosques were attacked and vandalized in Birmingham as well as one mosque in Scotland.

Majority of the attacks were carried out in person (45) rather than online (40) and according to Tell Mama, the perpetrators carrying out these attacks believe they would not be caught and due to the boldness of such attacks, they were not concerned about the consequences of what they had done.

“Experience tells us … that we should sadly expect that a horrific attack such as the one in Christchurch will have an impact on levels of hostility in the U.K. but it will also increase the fear of crime in affected communities. Both of these factors are likely to increase reporting levels,” said Mark Hamilton, assistant chief constable.

Last week, State Minister for Security Ben Wallace said that the New Zealand terrorist attacks could “absolutely happen” in the U.K. and that the government was considering plans to increase security funding for mosques and Muslim communities.

According to research conducted by the Independent Newspaper, far-right extremism is growing in the U.K. and white British people are more likely to sympathize with extremism than those of Asian Muslim descent. The government has been warned to not solely focus on Muslim-oriented extremism as far-right extremism is an increasing threat.

On March 15, far-right terror attacks massacred at least 50 Muslim worshippers and injured as many as they prepared for Friday prayers at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand.