Hate crimes targeting Muslims spiked by nearly 275 percent in Britain in the days after Islamic extremists took credit for terrorist attacks in Paris, France, new statistics suggest.
A group that monitors Islamophobia in the U.K. said on Monday that it’s been made aware of 115 assaults against Muslims in the eight days after the November 13 attacks.
The group behind the report, Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), said the figure was up from last year’s tally of 43 attacks during the same span.
“Many of the victims have suggested that no one came to their assistance or even consoled them, meaning that they felt victimized, embarrassed, alone and angry about what had taken place against them,” reads their analysis, The Independent reported. “Sixteen of the victims even mentioned that they would be fearful of going out in the future and that the experiences had affected their confidence.”
“The vast and overwhelming majority of the victims are visible Muslim women between the ages of 14-45,” it continued. “This is concerning since the cases show that women who wear the hijab are the ones being targeted for general abuse and threats.”
Often, the report noted, British Muslims said they were attacked while in public places, including the bus and train.
Eight of the 115 recent attacks occurred on public transport, the report stated, and involved “young children who had heard the comments against their mothers, and their mothers said their children had seen them being fearful as perpetrators took aggressive physical postures against them.”
While the data included in the Tell MAMA report concerns only the eight days after the terrorist attacks, police in London said in September that it witnessed a 71 percent spike in anti-Muslim offenses over the preceding 12 months.
The report was being compiled for a working group acting on behalf of the British government, The Independent reported.
