Urging unity in face of far-right riots, Muslim Council of Britain says 'thugs' do not represent vast majority of Britons

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The Muslim Council of Britain on Wednesday said that “thugs do not represent" the vast majority of Britons, urging unity in the face of recent far-right violence across the country.

"We know many communities across the UK remain fearful of violent far-right extremist riots," Zara Mohammed, the group’s secretary-general, said on X. "We know these thugs do not represent the vast majority of Britons who stand with us against such hatred and Islamophobia."

In a video message, Mohammed said: "We have not experienced this much violence and hatred in a very long time."

Noting that she has been in touch with mosques across the country and is aware of the "real threat" they are under, she gave some advice, starting with being safe.

"First, stay safe, whether it's your personal safety or the safety of your mosque community center business, please be cautious," she said, urging people to do risk assessment, be in touch with the police, and make sure they taking every precaution to be vigilant in these "very, very difficult and dark times."

"Remember to reach out to your allies, friends, neighbors, and to be united and make sure this hate doesn't win,” she added.

Lastly, she asked people to keep faith.

"We know our communities have been through so much, and these are just testing times, and we will overcome them once more," she added.

The UK has been rocked by turmoil for days, with violent far-right rioters spewing racist and Islamophobic vitriol targeting Muslims, minority groups, and migrants.

The riots were fueled by false claims spread online that a suspect arrested for the July 29 fatal stabbing of three children in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Authorities have since identified the attacker as Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old born in Cardiff, Wales to Rwandan parents, but this has done little to deter the far-right mobs.