TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Anti-Muslim attacks in England have been on the rise in the wake of the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich, London. He was brutally killed by two perpetrators who claimed it as a form of 'jihad'.
Faith Matters, an organization that works to reduce extremism, said more than a hundred-and-sixty incidents had been reported in the past few days as opposed to only four until eight incidents, before Lee Rigby's killing on Wednesday.
Fiyaz Mughal, Faith Matters director said that the incidents happened both on the streets or online. "What’s really worrying is the spreading of this incident. They come from all over the country," he told BBC.
"Some of the attackers are also very aggressive, very focused, and with aggressive attacks. There are also a significant rise in the online activities showing coordination and attacks to institutions or places where Muslims commonly gather," he added.
In the meantime, police have reported a number of arrests since Wednesday. Benjamin Flatters, 22 from Lincoln, was arrested on Thursday after posting racists and anti-religion tweets on Twitter. Previously, two men in Bristol had also been arrested and freed on bail after making offensive comments.
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