Incidents of anti-Muslim prejudice and hate in London during the first six months of this year have already exceeded the total figure recorded for the whole of 2023, according to a monitoring group.
Describing the collated statistics as “alarming”, the monitoring organisation Tell Mama highlighted data revealing a sixfold surge in annual London cases from 2021 to 2025.
The organisation stated that the figures reflect a “sustained escalation of anti-Muslim hate”, adding that behind every report is “a Londoner who was made to feel unsafe simply because of their faith”.
Figures stood at 313 in 2021, before more than doubling to 818 in 2022, and rising each year since to a record of 1,909 last year.
From January to the end of June this year, Tell Mama logged 1,031 reports, surpassing the 1,028 total reports gathered throughout 2023.
A Unite the Kingdom rally, organised by activist Tommy Robinson in central London in May, faced sharp criticism from one of the capital’s deputy mayors over instances of Islamophobia she said occurred at the event.
open image in galleryOutside Parliament, some protesters called for the “removal of Islam”, while Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, shared a video of himself saying that, were he to become prime minister, he would “stop Islam”, adding: “It’s time for many Muslims to leave this country.”
Iman Atta, director at Tell Mama, said: “What is most alarming is the trajectory: from just over 300 reports in 2021 to nearly 1,100 in the first half of this year alone.
“A worrying rise in repeat victimisation and heightened levels of targeted anger are leaving victims with a fractured sense of personal safety, highlighting the urgent need for robust counter-extremism strategies rather than political platitudes.
“This is not a temporary blip, it is a sustained escalation of anti-Muslim hate, and it demands a sustained and uncompromising no-nonsense response from our public institutions.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “We will not tolerate attacks on the Muslim community. Hate crime in all its forms – including ongoing efforts to tackle racism, anti-Muslim hate crime, and other forms of hatred in the capital – remains a core policing priority.
“Our focus on tackling these hateful offenders is starting to work, and in the last 12 months the Met has increased positive outcomes – including arrests and charges – for anti-Muslim hate crime by 57%.”
open image in galleryIn July, another organisation recording anti-Muslim hatred said it had recorded 70 attacks at Muslim places of worship across the UK in the 12 months to July, including vandalism and intimidation.
The British Muslim Trust was appointed last year to receive investment from the Government’s Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund.
Bringing together the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust, the trust analyses data to help identify the drivers behind a rise in anti-Muslim hatred.
A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “Anti-Muslim hate has absolutely no place in London. The rise in attacks on Muslims in London and across the country is vile and the police have the mayor’s full support in taking a zero-tolerance approach.”
They said the mayor had provided “a record £16 million – more than any other mayor – to support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate and intolerance and fund services for victims of hate crime”.