British public defends Muslims amid series of Islamophobic comments online
Thousands of people took to social media to defend Britain’s Muslim community, after anti-Muslim comments began pouring in online that blame the terror attack at Manchester Arena on Islam.
Incendiary comments also came in from right-wing pundits like Tommy Robinson, Katie Hopkins, and Piers Morgan.
People were quick to respond to the seemingly Islamophobic opinions of some of Britain’s most famous social commentators.
FACT: More than 200,000 British Muslims believe suicide attacks, like last night, is 'sometimes or often' justified. WAKE UP BRITAIN.
— Tommy Robinson (@TRobinsonNewEra) May 23, 2017
Hopkins found herself in hot water on Tuesday morning after tweeting that the country needed a “final solution” – a term originally used by the Nazis for the Holocaust.
The LBC radio host was quick to delete the tweet after being told off by fellow social media users, but it is understood that complaints were also made about her to her employers at the station and Mail Online. She was reported to the Metropolitan Police for using hate speech as well.
Morgan also came off as tactless in commenting on the event when he told Muslim comedian Abdullah Afzal that more needs to be done “before another radicalized lunatic commits mass murder.”
READ MORE: ISIS claims responsibility for Manchester Arena terrorist attack
“These extremists had nothing to do with Islam and Muslims.Terrorism has no religion, pass it on,” wrote a Twitter user named Ali.
“We must hunt down and deliver the crucible of justice to those responsible for #Manchester attack, not blame 1.59 billion moderate Muslims,” added Christopher Zullo.
The calls for people to stop blaming Muslims came just before leaders of Britain’s Muslim community confirmed that an Oldham mosque had been set alight on Monday evening, just hours after the attack. Another mosque in Glasgow was vandalized with a graffiti reading “ISIS.”
More reprisals are feared over the coming days.
