In the first anniversary of Finsbury Park attack, which targeted worshippers near a mosque in north London, a group representing Muslims in Britain has warned of a new "worrying increase in hate crimes.”
British politicians commemorated the anniversary of the terrorist attack in a gathering in front of Islington Town Hall, north of the British capital, where they stood for a moment of silence alongside Makram Ali’s family, the only one who lost his life when a right-wing extremist drove a van into a group of Muslims leaving evening prayers during Ramadan in June 19.
Prime Minister Theresa May described the Finsbury Park attack as “cowardly”, adding: “As with all acts of terrorism the intention was to divide us, but we will not let this happen.”
"The attack was an attack on us all" and the courage of the Muslim community "sent a message that terrorism will never succeed," the BBC quoted her as saying.
In February, Darren Osborne, 48, was jailed for life for murder and attempted murder with no chance of parole for 43 years.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who delivered the closing remarks after the silence, also praised the response of the community.
He also lauded the emergency services, the local authority and the Muslim Welfare House’s imam, Mohammed Mahmoud, who protected Osborne from retaliation after the attack.
“Those who seek to divide us with racism ... will not achieve anything." "We will always remain united and will never be divided," Corbyn stressed.
The event was also attended by leaders of the Muslim community, officials from the conservative government, including Home Secretary Sajid Javid and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which represents dozens of Muslim associations in the United Kingdom, has always spoken of the alarming rise in Islamophobia.
It shed light on the events that happened in 2017, such as burning mosques, calling right-wing activists for "a day to punish Muslims," and sending letters with white powder to many Muslims, including deputies, according to the German news agency (DPA).
