Leaders of Britain’s main faith communities have united in condemning intolerance amid mounting reports of xenophobic and racist abuse in the wake of the EU referendum result
“It has been absolutely heartbreaking to see the spike in racist and xenophobic attacks following the referendum.
“Many warned that the rhetoric of Farage and the Leave campaign could lead to a rise in the intolerance we are seeing now. We must be clear that the outcome of the referendum was not a green light to xenophobia. It must have no impact on the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith society that Britain is and will remain.
“What we need now is further engagement to ensure we pull together not apart.
“Those responsible for the abuse and attacks should expect to face the full force of the law and the condemnation of the vast majority of decent Britons who continue to stand against racism and shoulder to shoulder with the various communities that together make our country what it is today.
“It is an appalling embarrassment that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has felt the need to make a statement urging the UK authorities to act to stop these attacks.
“The Prime Minister and UK Government must reiterate that there will be zero-tolerance for these horrific attacks. The police must be adequately resourced to robustly and rigorously investigate all reports so those responsible can be brought to justice swiftly.
“To the international community I have this message. This is not what Britain stands for. Nigel Farage and his supporters do not represent the views of the vast majority and we will continue to fight for an open, tolerant and progressive Britain.”
57% INCREASE IN HATE CRIME REPORTS
The Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, the Catholic archbishop of Westminster, the chief rabbi and senior imams have all spoken out against division and expressions of hatred.
In Brussels, the United Nations human rights chief said he was deeply concerned about reports of attacks on minority communities and foreigners. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein urged the UK authorities to prosecute those responsible, saying racism and xenophobia were “completely, totally and utterly unacceptable in any circumstances”.
Police recorded a 57% increase in hate crime complaints in the four days following the referendum, in which immigration was a key plank of the leave campaign.