Dozens of anti-Muslim hate reports after Unite the Kingdom rally, charity says

More than 150 reports of anti-Muslim hate were made to a charity monitoring the issue in the wake of Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally last month.

Tell Mama said victims of anti-Muslim hate had recalled being told to “leave the UK” and “go back to your country” amid both a higher level of aggression targeting Muslim and migrant communities, and more fear and anxiety in those communities as a result.

A total of 913 cases were reported to the organisation between June and September, with reports of 17 mosques and Islamic institutions being targeted within that period.

In the seven days following the Unite the Kingdom rally – which saw more than 100,000 people turned out in central London as well as around 5,000 anti-racism demonstrators on September 13  – Tell Mama said it received 157 anti-Muslim hate cases reported.

The organisation said victims of anti-Muslim hate had reported being told to “leave the UK” and “go back to your country“, and said such comments appear linked to “political discourse around migration”.

Tell Mama said it wanted to highlight that the national debate around migration is “having real-world impacts on the lives of people going about their daily activities”.

Iman Atta, director of Tell Mama, described the latest figures as “shocking” and predicted the full year numbers could end up surpassing a previous high in 2024 when there were more than 6,000 cases of anti-Muslim hate reported to Tell Mama.

She said: “We are looking at a serious problem of anti-Muslim hatred that is pervasive in parts of our country. This comes at a time when real political leadership on this matter is missing.”

Earlier this year, Tell Mama – which has been monitoring anti-Muslim hate for more than a decade – confirmed it would no longer apply for money from Government after an apparent funding row.

In July, the Government confirmed that the British Muslim Trust (BMT) had been chosen to receive investment from a new Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund.

It said the BMT brought together the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust and would analyse data to help identify the drivers behind a rise in anti-Muslim hatred across England.