A London Assembly Member has called for increased security around mosques in London following the spread of violent and racist riots to London.
Violent riots have erupted in several British cities following misinformation spread by the far-right in the wake of the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar in Southport.
Mosques in Southport and Hartlepool have been attacked in recent days, while violent crowds have also clashed with police in London, Manchester and Aldershot. It has also been feared that Asylum Centres around the country are being targeted.
Liberal Democrat Group Leader on the London Assembly Hina Bokhari has warned that extremists are spreading disinformation over the horrific murders of the three young girls in Southport and has called for greater security to be provided to Mosques in London by the Met police.
Commenting, Hina Bokhari AM said:
“The horrific murder of Elsie, Alice, and Bebe in Southport has impacted us all, my thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and all those who knew them. Violence against women and girls is still endemic across our society and we must see more done to eradicate it at all levels.
“The community in Southport have been grieving and yet they have also had to respond to terrible riots, violent crime and racist attacks on their local mosque from extremists.
“We have now seen this violence spread onto the streets of London with our police force being attacked. This is unacceptable.
“I am glad that the Prime Minister and other leading politicians have strongly called this out.
“I’d also like to thank the police for their efforts so far to keep communities safe at this time. But with the explicit rise of Islamophobia and hate crime in our capital, I am calling on the Mayor & Met Police to increase the protection of our places of worship like mosques, now is the time to make this a priority.
“Many Muslims have been left shaken by the scenes that have unfolded in various cities over the last few days and are extremely worried that they could be targeted by groups like the EDL. We have seen screenshots of attempts to organise far-right rallies outside Mosques.
“We must now strive to keep all our communities safe from dangerous racist groups such as EDL and those who have been deliberately spreading disinformation and inciting this violent thuggery.
“Hatred and bigotry must never be allowed to divide our great city.”
