Anti-Muslim hate crimes rise 300 percent in Britain after the Paris attacks

People leave the East London Mosque after prayers

(Image credit: Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

published 23 November 2015

Following the Paris attacks carried out by Islamic extremists on Nov. 13 that left 130 dead, anti-Muslim hatred has spiked dramatically in Britain. Numbers published Monday from a government working group's report reveal that hate crimes against Muslims have risen 300 percent in Britain in the last week, with 115 attacks recorded. That figure is expected to be a "significant underestimate" of the total, as The Independent notes that many more incidences likely went unreported.

Many of the attacks were directed against Muslim females between the ages of 14 and 45 who were wearing traditional Islamic dress; the perpetrators were primarily white males between the ages of 15 and 35. A large percentage of the attacks happened in public places, such as on buses and trains, and The Independent reports that "many of the victims have suggested that no one came to their assistance or even consoled them." Eight of the incidences involved young children.

This spike follows the year's larger trend of increasing Islamophobic incidents in Britain. AFP reports that incidents of Islamophobia have already risen by 70.7 percent in the year to July 2015 as compared to the previous year.