UK Minister Identifies Islamophobia as Factor in Recent Far-Right Violence
During an appearance on ITV’s morning television show “This Morning,” Cooper was asked why the Labour government had not previously used the term when discussing the violence, which erupted on Tuesday following a stabbing incident that left three children dead.
“You’re right that there has been a range of different things driving this, including far-right extremism,” Cooper stated.
“We have certainly seen some targeted attacks on mosques, and that clearly reflects Islamophobia, and people shouldn’t be targeted for their faith or for the color of their skin. We’ve also seen some looting, some response of local criminals just getting involved at the periphery on streets as well. None of these people speak for Britain,” she added.
The Home Office announced over the weekend that it would deploy additional police and security for mosques under new emergency measures, according to The Telegraph.
Read More:
Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana also appeared on “This Morning” and urged the government to do more to address hatred against Muslims.
“This question about naming it as Islamophobia is really important, because that allows us to shape our response,” she said, Arab News reported.
“If we’re not identifying what is happening, the language that is being used and what this is about, we’re not going to be able to address this fundamentally,” she added.
Read More:
The violence followed a tragic incident last week at a community center in Southport, England, where three young girls were stabbed to death by a 17-year-old suspect, Axel Rudakubana. Rudakubana, born in Cardiff to reportedly Christian Rwandan parents, was falsely identified on social media as a Muslim immigrant.
Analysts have noted that the rioters are vocal about their hatred of immigrants, with underlying xenophobia against minority communities in the UK, particularly Muslims.
Source: Agencies
