Brexit backlash: Over 100 hate incidents reported in 'Pandora's box of bigotry and Islamophobia'

The Muslim Council of Britain has compiled over 100 hate incidents that have been reported since the UK voted to leave the EU on 24 June. "The result seems to have unleashed a Pandora's box of bigotry and Islamophobia." said Miqdaad Versi from the Muslim Council of Britain, writing in the Guardian.

"The EU referendum result has perhaps emboldened racists by leading them to believe that the majority agree with their views on immigration and legitimising such public expressions of hatred."

The findings were echoed by True Vision, the UK-police funded website which provides information about hate crimes to the public, who reported that hate crimes have increased recently. Amnesty International said there was a 57% rise in reports of hate crime since the EU Referendum.

People are using social media to share their experience of racist attacks, using the hastag #PostRefRacism. Incidents include a racist demonstration outside a mosque in Birmingham, and reports of Muslims and other ethnic groups being taunted with shouts of "go back home!"

Sima Kotecha, who works on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, tweeted: "In utter shock: just been called p**i in my home town! Haven't heard that word here since the 80s..!" The post was retweeted more than 1,000 times and Kotecha was sent many with messages of support from MPs who called the incident "vile" and "disgusting".

Karissa Singh set up a Facebook page and Twitter account after being racially abused in a student bar. "On the Friday following Brexit my brother and I were harassed by a middle-aged white man, who approached us while we were having a drink to tell us that 'we would never be true British', and that 'he didn't care if we were here to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or whatever, just go back and do it in your own country'," she said.

"This was in the middle of the day, in broad daylight, in a fairly crowded student bar.

"Following this, I heard from several friends who had experienced similar incidents of racism — direct, unashamed and almost righteous in its expression.

"I decided to set up a space to document these aggressions, to combat their normalisation, and encourage people to call out such incidents."

Dr Shuja Shafi, the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, called for politicians to speak out. "Now we are witnessing the shocking extent of this with reports around the country of hate speech and minorities being targeted.

"I will be writing to the Home Secretary to ask what measures are being taken to step up security and policing in areas where such incidences have been reported."

Former Conservative parliamentary candidate Shazia Awan worked for the Stronger In campaign in Wales. She said: "While I was campaigning, I was speaking to a black woman. A white man walked past and called her the N word."

After tweeting that she thought David Cameron was the least worst thing about the Conservative party, she received a reply saying: "I should pack my bags and go home - I was born in Caerphilly in Wales."