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Bangla Mirror Desk :
The number of alleged hate crimes reported to a police website have risen by 57% after the UK voted to leave the European Union.
The 85 reports to True Vision between Thursday and Sunday came as the Prime Minister called for racially-motivated attacks in the wake of the vote must be “stamped out”.
Gwent Police confirmed it is investigating an incident directly linked with the referendum result and police in Wiltshire said they are investigating a potentially racist attack on a Polish woman in Salisbury on Friday.
As part of a wide-ranging speech to Parliament on Monday afternoon, David Cameron said: “In the past few days, we have seen despicable graffiti smeared on a Polish community centre and heard verbal abuse shouted at individuals who are members of ethnic minorities.
“Let’s remember that these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country.
“We will not stand for hate crime or these kind of attacks, they must be stamped out.”
On Sunday, Former Conservative chairwoman Baroness Warsi told Sky News that race hate crime organisations were reporting some “disturbing early results”.
There were reports of hate notes being posted through the doors of Polish residents in Cambridgeshire and scores of accounts of post-Brexit racism posted on social media.
Joanna Mludzinska, the chairwoman of the Polish community centre in Hammersmith, West London, that was daubed with graffiti, said: “It was very unpleasant. We removed the graffiti immediately but people have been very very shocked by it.
“We are an institution so it doesn’t affect us personally but we have heard about incidents of people being targeted individually.”
The incidents were not confined to people from the EU, with people from other minorities, receiving direct abuse including steelworker’s son Ali Ahmad who said he was told: “We voted leave – when are you going to?”
South Wales-born Shazia Awan, a former Conservative parliamentary candidate, said she had been sent several hate messages over Twitter at the weekend telling her “go back to your own country”.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said he had asked Scotland Yard – Britain’s largest force – to be “extra vigilant” for any rise in cases.
MPs of all parties used the parliamentary debate to call for more action against racism in response to the rise in the number of hate crimes.
Labour’s Harriet Harman said: “The leaders of the Brexit campaign have engendered an atmosphere where some people think it is acceptable for racism and xenophobia.”
Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham Daniel Kawczynski said: “I’m very proud of the contribution that Poles have made to this country, not just during the Battle of Britain, but also in recent years.
“I’ve invited the chairman of the Polish cultural centre to come to the House of Commons to show solidarity after that appalling attack and I very hope the Prime Minister will join me.”
Labour MP Jack Dromey said: “I am seeing profoundly disturbing evidence of a wave of racial abuse and attacks because of how immigration was handled in the Referendum campaign.
Earlier, Leave campaigner Boris Johnson said he was “appalled” by reports of an increase in crimes of racism.
He said: “Hate crime of any kind is inexcusable and must be met with the full force of the law. Britain is an open, tolerant and friendly society that welcomes people from across the globe.
“That spirit of openness and diversity must never change and will never change. The actions of a bigoted minority will not be tolerated.”
