Responding to an article in the Daily Telegraph where he said Muslim women wearing burkas “look like letter boxes” and comparing them to “bank robbers” Mayor John Biggs said:
‘The language used in Boris Johnson’s article is incredibly offensive and insensitive, people should be free to decide what they wear.
In his column he argues against a full ban on wearing the burka as is the case in several other European countries, but he then goes on to use provocative and insulting language about people who choose to wear a burka. This is simply unacceptable.
In Tower Hamlets we are one community and respect each other’s beliefs. Boris needs to offer a full apology for his comments’.