By Catarina Demony
LONDON (Reuters) – The number of anti-Muslim incidents in Britain rose to a new high in 2024, according to data compiled by monitoring organisation Tell MAMA, which said the war in Gaza had “super-fuelled” online hate.
Tell MAMA said it verified 5,837 anti-Muslim hate cases – a mix of both online and in-person incidents – last year, compared with 3,767 cases the year before and 2,201 in 2022.
The organisation’s data goes back to 2012 and is compiled using data-sharing agreements with police forces in England and Wales.
“The Middle East conflict super-fuelled online anti-Muslim hate,” the group said in a statement, adding that “the Israel and Gaza War, the Southport murders and riots … created a surge in anti-Muslim hate cases reported to Tell MAMA from 2023-2024”.
Its director Iman Atta described the surge as unacceptable and deeply concerning for the future.
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) describes itself as an independent, non-governmental organisation which works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.
Separate data last week showed levels of hatred towards Jews across Britain have also rocketed to record levels in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The surge in hate incidents against Muslims due to Islamophobia has also been linked to the killing of three young girls in the northern English town of Southport last summer, Tell MAMA said.
False reports spread on social media that the killer, who has since been sentenced to at least 52 years behind bars, was a radical Islamist migrant, leading to racist riots involving far-right and anti-immigration groups across the country.
“We urge the public to stand together against hatred and extremism, and we urge those in positions of influence and public authority to consider how their language risks stereotyping communities,” Atta said, calling for coordinated government action to tackle anti-Muslim hate.
A government spokesperson said the findings were extremely concerning, and that attacks and hatred against Muslim communities were unacceptable.
“We are absolutely determined to bridge divisions between communities and are working closely with community groups, charities, and public sector partners to tackle hatred in all its forms,” the spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by William James and Hugh Lawson)
