Police in East London have initiated an investigation into a hate crime after a video went viral, capturing an attack on Muslim women.
The incident took place in Romford on Saturday, where a group of hijab-wearing women, who were pushing shopping trolleys, were targeted by a white male wearing glasses.
The Redbridge Community Action Group shared the footage on social media, which shows the man aggressively following the women along a busy shopping area, South Street.
He was shouting and making threatening gestures as they tried to leave the scene.
“We don’t want you here,” he said.
In the video, the assailant can be heard using profanities and derogatory terms, referring to the women as “Muslim traitors.”
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that they are treating the incident as a hate crime and have promised to investigate it urgently.
Scotland Yard released a statement expressing their awareness of the incident and reassuring the public that they will be speaking with the victims.
A 55-year-old, Vaseem Ahmed who participated in a pro-Palestine rally and happened to be near Barclays Bank on the high street, witnessed the attack.
He criticized the attacker, urging him to exhibit the same behavior in front of Muslim men and face the consequences.
Ahmed condemned the targeting of innocent people and described the attacker’s words as offensive and lacking coherence due to his extreme anger.
He criticized government ministers, including Rishi Sunak, for their failure to address Islamophobia, which he believes encourages individuals to commit such acts.
Ahmed emphasized that visibly Muslim individuals, particularly women, often become vulnerable targets, highlighting the unfortunate reality of the situation.
He stated that he did not witness any intervention from bystanders and called on people to speak out and confront such incidents without necessarily putting themselves in physical danger.
