Scotland Yard today said that Islamphobic hate crimes against Muslims in the British capital here have nearly tripled since the deadly Paris attacks last month that killed 130 people.
According to latest figures, in the week ending November 10 there were 24 incidents and in the week ending November 24, in the aftermath of the November 13 attack, the number shot up to 76.
“It is with regret, but something that we have come to realise, through experience, that hate crimes can increase during these difficult times,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
The figures show the annual number of incidents have also increased with the majority of reports relating to harassment.
The 12 months up to October 2014 saw 576 incidents reported, which increased by 47.6 per cent to 845 the following year.
Mussurut Zia from the Muslim Women’s Network UK said the British Muslim community was feeling the pressure.
“We’ve had people coming forward and telling us about being avoided in the shopping mall, people refusing to sit next to them on the bus… Then you’ve got the physical aspect with coats and scarves being yanked. In terms of fear it’s increased since Paris,” she said.
The Met said it was providing extra patrols and had more than 900 officers investigating hate crime.