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| Police investigating hate crime after woman says man tried to pull her hijab off on the tube | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police are investigating a suspected hate crime after a man allegedly tried to pull off a Muslim woman’s hijab and spat at her friend. | |
| The woman, who posted about the incident on Twitter, said she was waiting for a tube at Baker Street station in the early hours of Saturday morning when a man grabbed at her headscarf and then hit her. | |
| Her friend was pinned against a wall and then spat at, she said. She also accused a woman who accompanied the man of threatening her. | Her friend was pinned against a wall and then spat at, she said. She also accused a woman who accompanied the man of threatening her. |
| Tweeting under the name Aniso Abdulkadir, she posted a picture of the man who allegedly attacked her, writing: “This man at Baker Street station forcefully attempted to pull my hijab off and when I instinctively grabbed ahold of my scarf he hit me.” | |
| She continued: “He proceeded to verbally abuse my friends and I, pinning one of them against the wall and spitting in her face.” | |
| She urged others to share the image in order to identify the suspect, attracting more than 24,000 retweets by Sunday afternoon. | |
| A British Transport Police spokesman said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime, adding: “Behaviour like this is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. | |
| “This incident has been reported to us and we’re investigating.” | |
| The Independent reported at the beginning of July that racial and religious hate crimes rose 23 per cent – from 40,741 to 49,921 – in the 11 months after the EU referendum, compared with the same period the previous year. | The Independent reported at the beginning of July that racial and religious hate crimes rose 23 per cent – from 40,741 to 49,921 – in the 11 months after the EU referendum, compared with the same period the previous year. |
| Eleven of the 32 police forces in England and Wales that responded to requests for information saw reports of race and faith-based hate crimes increase by more than 40 per cent. | Eleven of the 32 police forces in England and Wales that responded to requests for information saw reports of race and faith-based hate crimes increase by more than 40 per cent. |
| Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to get in touch with police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. | Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to get in touch with police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. |
| Additional reporting by Press Association | Additional reporting by Press Association |