UK: London anti-Muslim hate in 2026 soars past entire 2023 total

The number of Islamophobic incidents recorded in London during the first half of 2026 has already surpassed the total recorded for the whole of 2023, a monitoring group has said, describing the rise as "alarming".

Tell Mama, which monitors anti-Muslim hate, said it recorded 1,031 reports of anti-Muslim prejudice and hate between January and the end of June, compared with 1,028 throughout 2023.

The group uses the terms "anti-Muslim hate" and "anti-Muslim violence" when documenting Islamophobic incidents, terminology also adopted by the UK government earlier this year in preference to the term Islamophobia.

“This is not a temporary blip, it is a sustained escalation of anti-Muslim hate, and it demands a sustained and uncompromising no-nonsense response from our public institutions," Tell Mama Director Iman Atta said.

Tell Mama's figures point to a steep rise in reported incidents in recent years. The group recorded 313 anti-Muslim incidents in London in 2021, rising to 818 in 2022. In 2024, the number reached a record 1,909.

Incidents documented during the first half of 2026 included attacks targeting Muslim women, harassment and intimidation during prayers, and hate speech.

The figures come amid growing alarm over Islamophobia across the UK, with Amnesty International warning in June that anti-Muslim hate had reached "emergency levels".

In July, police charged a 14-year-old boy over an alleged plot to attack two mosques, which authorities said was linked to "extreme right-wing terrorism".

Muslims have also been targeted in a stabbing attack in Edinburgh and amid anti-immigrant violence in Belfast earlier this year.

The rise in Islamophobia has unfolded alongside growing far-right activism and the proliferation of anti-Muslim rhetoric online.

In May, far-right figures, including former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, organised the Unite the Kingdom rally in central London, where speakers used openly anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Last month, the British Muslim Trust, the government's official partner for monitoring anti-Muslim hate, published a report finding that a mosque is attacked every five days in the UK.

The report also highlighted difficulties faced by mosques seeking government funding for security measures. It said many had waited months for decisions on applications, while others had been rejected without explanation.

The concerns come despite the UK government previously announcing up to £40 million in security funding for mosques and Muslim community centres for 2026-27.