The Muslim Women’s Network surveyed 200 of its members about how safe they felt in the UK before and after the riots. It found that 75% reported significant concerns about their safety, up from 16% before the unrest. Nearly 20% said they had encountered hostility in the UK before the first riots on 30 July in Southport, which erupted after a knife attack at a youth club left three girls dead and several others injured.
False information circulated on social media suggesting the attack was carried out by a Muslim or asylum seeker. The attacker was later identified as 17-year-old Cardiff-born Axel Rudakubana.
Riots spread to other major cities across the UK, with several mosques attacked.
“Hate crime has increased over the past decade and the Hate Crime Strategy is outdated. I want to see hate crime laws strengthened with the term ‘hate’ more clearly defined,” Baroness Shaista Gohir, chief executive of the Muslim Women’s Network, told Sky News.
The charity is setting up a hotline and more people, especially Muslim women, need to report hate crimes so that society can better understand their frequency, Ms Gohir said.
The Muslim Women’s Network surveyed 200 of its members about how safe they felt in the UK before and after the riots. It found that 75% reported significant concerns about their safety, up from 16% before the unrest. Nearly 20% said they had encountered hostility in the UK before the first riots on 30 July in Southport, which erupted after a knife attack at a youth club left three girls dead and several others injured.
False information circulated on social media suggesting the attack was carried out by a Muslim or asylum seeker. The attacker was later identified as 17-year-old Cardiff-born Axel Rudakubana.
Riots spread to other major cities across the UK, with several mosques attacked.
“Hate crime has increased over the past decade and the Hate Crime Strategy is outdated. I want to see hate crime laws strengthened with the term ‘hate’ more clearly defined,” Baroness Shaista Gohir, chief executive of the Muslim Women’s Network, told Sky News.
The charity is setting up a hotline and more people, especially Muslim women, need to report hate crimes so that society can better understand their frequency, Ms Gohir said.
