Anti-Muslim hate reports in London surge to record levels, watchdog says
More than 1,000 reports were recorded in first half of 2026 alone, already exceeding London’s full-year total for 2023
LONDON (MNTV) — Reports of anti-Muslim hate in London have risen sharply over the past five years, with new figures from monitoring organisation Tell MAMA showing the number of reports has increased more than sixfold since 2021.
Tell MAMA recorded 1,031 reports of anti-Muslim hate and prejudice in the capital between January and June 2026, putting the city on pace to surpass last year’s record if the trend continues.
The figure for the first six months of this year has already exceeded the 1,028 reports recorded during the whole of 2023.
The organisation recorded 313 reports in 2021, followed by 818 in 2022 and 1,028 in 2023.
The number then jumped to 1,819 in 2024 before reaching a record 1,909 in 2025.
The figures indicate that anti-Muslim incidents have not returned to earlier levels after the sharp increase seen in 2024.
Instead, reports have remained elevated, with 2026 showing another significant rise.
Tell MAMA has described the trajectory as a sustained escalation in anti-Muslim hate, with incidents including street-based harassment, verbal abuse and attacks or intimidation targeting Muslim institutions and visibly Muslim people.
Muslim women who wear visible Islamic clothing are among those particularly exposed to public harassment, while mosques and Islamic centres have also faced intimidation.
The figures come amid broader concerns about the growth of anti-Muslim hostility in Britain. Police-recorded anti-Muslim offences nationally also rose in the year to March 2025, while previous Tell MAMA research has highlighted the role of far-right networks and online rhetoric in encouraging hostility towards Muslims.
London has also seen recent concerns over threats linked to extreme-right activity. In July, Counter Terrorism Policing London arrested 12 people in an investigation involving a suspected threat against an Islamic event in Suffolk.
The latest figures have renewed questions over whether the rise is confined to London or reflects a wider deterioration in the environment faced by Britain’s Muslim communities, particularly amid demonstrations and political rhetoric surrounding migration and integration.
Tell MAMA is calling for stronger action by police and local authorities to improve the recording, investigation and prosecution of anti-Muslim hate. It has also urged social media companies and public bodies to address online abuse that can precede or accompany incidents in the physical world.
London authorities have said there is no place for hate crime in the capital and encourage victims and witnesses to report incidents to police or specialist organisations such as Tell MAMA.
The scale of the latest figures, however, points to a continuing challenge for one of Europe’s most diverse cities, where Muslim communities make up a significant part of the population.
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