August 2024 did not feel like a safe time for London’s ethnic minorities – especially those from the Muslim community.
By Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter
Credit: GLA
August 2024 did not feel like a safe time for London’s ethnic minorities – especially those from the Muslim community.
Advised to stay behind closed doors, many waited and hoped for the best as a wave of anti-immigration demonstrations and riots took place across the UK following a horrific attack in Southport which saw three young girls tragically killed at a dance class.
Misinformation had spread around the identity of the attacker, with high-profile figures from the far right initially alleging that it was an Islamist migrant. Despite the police’s best efforts to quell speculation, the horse had bolted. After a week of chaos across the country, London was readying itself. Minorities were told to stay inside to not get caught up in riots which were rumoured to spread as far as Brentford, Harrow, North Finchley and Walthamstow.
In the end, these did not materialise, with gatherings dominated by counter-protests. But for many Muslims across London, it was a reminder that prejudices of old were still under the surface across much of society.
Sixfold increase in anti-Muslim hate in London
Two years on, the hatred has not subsided. New data reveals that reports of anti-Muslim discrimination are skyrocketing in London, with a sixfold increase between 2021 and 2025. Last year’s 1,909 reports represented the highest annual total on record, according to data from monitoring service Tell MAMA, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
There were 1,031 reports in the capital alone in the first six months of this year.
This spike is part of a broader 19% national rise in police recorded anti-Muslim offences, with the City of Westminster emerging as a major hotspot for these crimes, the group’s analysis shows. Director Iman Atta OBE saying: “Behind every one of these figures is a Londoner who was made to feel unsafe simply because of their faith.
“What is most alarming is the trajectory: from just over 300 reports in 2021 to nearly 1,100 in the first half of this year alone.
“This is not a temporary blip, it is a sustained escalation of anti-Muslim hate, and it demands a sustained and uncompromising no-nonsense response from our public institutions.”
Only last month, a teenager was charged by police for allegedly planning terror attacks on two mosques in Sutton.
Moin Uddin, of Sutton Central Masjid, said that the plot has affected how the mosque approaches new visitors, with leaders now made to “think twice” about who to let in. He also claimed it represents a serious escalation in hostility, leaving many in the congregation to question whether Sutton was still a safe place for them.
A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain added: “There is a palpable fear amongst many minority communities like Muslims across London and beyond that the sustained high levels of hate crime will translate into something more sinister, as we saw following in the summer 2024 post-Southport riots.
“Online disinformation and algorithm-driven toxic social media feeds are poisoning the minds of our young people, and City Hall representing London nationally and internationally can play its part with government, Ofcom and policing for better policies, regulations and enforcement around big tech companies who are profiting from spreading hate.”
Public protection
Those in City Hall have not escaped this hatred – mainly because they have been victimised themselves.
The Mayor himself has been a lightning rod for Islamophobic abuse since he took office, with evidence suggesting the problem has worsened in recent years – especially when he is mentioned by the US President.
Analysis commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA) last year showed that almost 28,000 social media posts referring to Sir Sadiq included a key Islamophobic phrase, a huge increase on the 12,000 sent in 2024 and a more than eight-fold increase from 2022. The Mayor and his family now have a 24/7 security team.
“The Mayor of the greatest city in the world needs protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week because of the colour of his skin and the God he worships, that can’t be right,” he said in 2021.
It is understood to be partly why many City Hall programmes – from Loved and Wanted to TfL’s Chatty Cabs – have focused on bringing Londoners together, to avoid hatred spreading to ordinary residents.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told the LDRS: “Anti-Muslim hate has absolutely no place in London. The attacks on Muslims and mosques in London and around the country are vile and the police have the Mayor’s full support in taking a zero-tolerance approach to these crimes.
“From City Hall, Sadiq is leading from the front, investing a record £16million – more than any other Mayor – to support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate and intolerance. The Mayor’s Loved and Wanted campaign is bringing a broad range of organisations and community groups together to show the world that diversity is London’s greatest strength and that people from all backgrounds are celebrated and welcomed here.
“The Mayor will continue to do everything possible to ensure Londoners of all backgrounds and faiths feel welcome and safe, building a better London for everyone.”
The issue has also united parties on the London Assembly. Labour’s Marina Ahmad and the Liberal Democrat group leader Hina Bokhari submitted a joint motion last year calling on the Mayor to continue standing against anti-Muslim hatred. Sir Sadiq finally responded last month, saying: “Manifestations of hate, including, but not limited to, Islamophobia and antisemitism, are a stain on
our great city, and I will continue to counter these whenever and wherever they appear.”
The proposal, which was unanimously passed, was personal for the two Assembly Members.
“I grew up at a time when the neo-Nazis were recruiting outside my school gates,” Ms Ahmad, who represents Lambeth and Southwark, said.
“I used to be spat on in class because of the colour of my skin. I believed we had gotten beyond that – but I am worried for my two daughters.
“Personally, when I was chairing the Police and Crime Committee, I was falsely accused of doing something that went viral online and I started getting a torrent of abuse, including being called ‘Sadiq Khan in a dress’.
“There is that general racism against people of colour, which is heartbreaking – but as a Muslim woman, it is really scary in terms of what their experience of life is and how they will have to navigate this very specific racism and hatred.
“London is the most diverse city in the world, it is tolerant and accepting. The narrative and hatred gets spewed out by people who make a living doing so.”
She directly called out Nigel Farage and former Mayor Boris Johnson for allegedly fanning the flames with their past comments, adding: “This gives permission to other people to say and do what they want, because those in power are able to do it with impunity and without consequences.
“Social media also plays a part – those trying to win votes use it for clicks. This is all about education. Prejudice and hatred comes from fear – it is the basis of why people act why they do.
“What can be done is challenging some of the narratives that come out. It is about working with young people. It is about exploring what worries and concerns people have. There will always be the die-hards.”
She said there is also a “very hidden level of abuse” because people feel it is part of their existence and learn to live with it.
Ms Bokhari, who has been pushing the Mayor to implement Islamophobia training across all GLA bodies, told the LDRS: “I’ve seen a real dehumanisation of Muslims, especially on social media.
“When we had the riots two years ago, there was a promise made by the Mayor of London that action would be taken. Nothing has happened, there is no explicit Islamophobia training across the GLA, across TfL, London Fire Brigade, or the Met Police.”
She called on Sir Sadiq to show more “bravery” in lobbying the government to take stronger measures against Islamophobia in London.
“If he doesn’t do it, who will? There is an opportunity right now that we may lose when he stops being the Mayor,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We do not tolerate any kind of racial or religious hate, including anti-Muslim hatred.
“It is completely unacceptable, which is why we’re investing £40 million to keep Muslim communities safe and adopting a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility to provide a clearer understanding of this serious issue.”
