Hate crimes targeting mosques more than double in a year

Mosques and other Muslim places of worship have been targeted Credit: PA

Hate crimes targeting mosques and other Muslim places of worship across the UK have more than doubled between 2016 and 2017.

Police forces recorded 110 hate crimes directed at mosques between March and July this year, up from just 47 over the same period in 2016.

Racist abuse and threats calling for people to "bomb the mosque" feature heavily among the hate crimes, as do incidents of offenders smashing windows on buildings and parked cars.

Other records include offensive graffiti sprayed on to buildings, violent assaults on worshippers, two cases of arson and two cases of individuals leaving bacon on door handles at mosques.

According to figures obtained through freedom of information requests:

  • Twenty-five forces saw a year-on-year increase in hate crimes directed at mosques.

  • The biggest rise was reported by Greater Manchester Police (nine crimes, up from zero) and London's Metropolitan Police (17 crimes, up from eight).

  • Threats, harassment or other intimidating behaviour more than tripled, from 14 crimes in 2016 to 49 in 2017.

  • Violent crime against individuals more than doubled from five recorded crimes against worshippers at mosques in 2016 to 11 crimes in 2017.

  • Crimes recorded as vandalism or criminal damage increased from 12 in 2016 to 15 in 2017.

Police forces recorded 110 hate crimes directed at mosques between March and July this year Credit: PA

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott called the figures "deeply troubling".

"Attacks on any religious group or minority are abominable," she said, adding: "These anti-Muslim attacks will be condemned by all decent people."

Due to differences in how police forces record their statistics and the fact that not all forces are included in the figures, the true number of hate crimes directed at mosques is likely to be higher still.