Anti-Muslim hate crimes have rocketed in the wake of the New Zealand terror attacks - a charity has revealed.
Islamophobic incidents increased by 593 per cent across Britain in the week after the terrorist killing of 50 worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, according to Tell MAMA.
One charity boss says the pattern reveals that some people see Muslims 'as fair game for hate'.
Almost all of the cases comprised of language, symbols or actions linked to the Christchurch attacks.
Cases included people making impressions of pointing a pistol to Muslim women, comments about British Muslims and comments about the actions taken by the terrorist in New Zealand.
In Greater Manchester, there were eleven reports of incidents which referenced the atrocity across the region - nine of which took place on Twitter and Facebook.
Two people have been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence following an incident in Rochdale. While seven people were arrested over comments made about the New Zealand attacks.
There have been more anti-Muslim hate incidents reported to Tell MAMA in the last seven days than in the week after the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017.
Tell MAMA director, Iman Atta OBE, said: “The spike shows a troubling rise after Muslims were murdered in New Zealand. Figures have risen over 590 per cent since New Zealand in comparison to the week just before the attack.
“This shows that some people see Muslims as fair game for hate and it is now clear that we have an ongoing and persistent ideology of hate that is generating a focus on Muslims. “Muslims in New Zealand were killed and British Muslims feel the anger of bigots. It is perverse.”
Greater Manchester Police launched Operation Bolero last week to investigate Islamophobic hate crime.
However senior officers have said they believe much hate crime experienced by Muslims is not reported.
'He shouted 49! Yes! Yes!... I was shocked': This is what it's like being a Muslim in Manchester now , raised his fist into the air and shouted: “49! Yes! Yes!” at a Muslim woman.
'He shouted 49! Yes! Yes!... I was shocked': This is what it's like being a Muslim in Manchester now
The incident, which took place on Washway Road, in Altrincham, happened just hours after the Christchurch attacks when the death toll has reached 49.
Ghazala Yasmeen, who was with her 14-year-old daughter at the time, later told the M.E.N that it was a ‘terrifying experience’.
Read more of today's top stories here
She said: “It is a very shocking and sad thing for me that there are some people within our community who hate us this much. I thought that everybody would sympathise with the Muslim community.”
There were 5,199 racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded by GMP in the 12 months to September 2018, according to Tell MAMA.
Of those, 2,385 (46 per cent) resulted in no suspect being identified.
The charity, which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, says the figures may indicate that there are difficulties in identifying perpetrators in online investigations.
Ex-Britain's Got Talent star avoids jail over her involvement in online drug dealing operation
Police warning after spate of distraction thefts in supermarkets
