UK anti-Muslim hate crime soars, police figures show
Source: The Guardian
A petrol bomb explodes outside the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre in May. Photograph: CPS/PA
Hundreds of anti-Muslim offences have been carried out across the country in 2013, with Britain's biggest force, the Metropolitan police, recording 500 Islamophobic crimes.
Many forces reported a surge in the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby by two Islamic extremists in Woolwich, south-east London, in May.
And the figures could be much higher, because nearly half the 43 forces in England and Wales did not reveal how many hate crimes had targeted Muslims. Some forces admitted they did not always record the faith of a religious hate crime victim.
"The far right groups, particularly the EDL [English Defence League] perniciously use the internet and social media to promote vast amounts of online hate," he said.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/dec/27/uk-anti-muslim-hate-crime-soars?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2