Floral tributes for Drummer Lee Rigby, of the British Army's 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, are lined at the scene of his killing in Woolwich, southeast London
LONDON: Anti-Muslim attacks in Britain have soared since Wednesday’s murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich.
Faith Matters, an organisation that works to reduce extremism, said it had been told of about 150 incidents in the last few days, compared with four to eight cases before Wednesday.
Director Fiyaz Mughal said incidents were happening on the streets and online. “What’s concerning is the spread of these incidents. They’re coming in from right across the country,” he told the BBC.
“Secondly, some of them are quite aggressive; very focused, very aggressive attacks. And thirdly, there also seems to be significant online activity… suggesting co-ordination of incidents and attacks against institutions or places where Muslims congregate.”
Police have reported several arrests since Wednesday. Benjamin Flatters, 22, from Lincoln, was arrested on Thursday after complaints were made to Lincolnshire police about comments made on Twitter that were allegedly of a racist or anti-religious nature.
A second man was visited by officers and warned against his activity on social media, according to the police. The charge comes after two men in Bristol were arrested and released on bail for making alleged offensive comments on Twitter about the murder.
A 23-year-old and a 22-year-old, both from Bristol, were held under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred.
The Guardian
