On Saturday 30 March, there was an Islamophobic attack on a young Muslim woman on the platform at Turnpike Lane tube station. The attacker pulled her hijab off, which was reported immediately to the police and on twitter by a friend of the victim.
The incident horrified me and other activists in Haringey. With comrades in Haringey Stand Up to Racism, we organised an urgent protest vigil outside Turnpike Lane tube station at 6pm on Monday 1 April 2019. Although organised with only 24 hours’ notice, the protest was very well attended with nearly 150 people.
I spoke at the protest not just as a Haringey Councillor but also as a member of the local Muslim community. I reminded those present that Haringey stood up to and defeated the fascists from National Front not too far from where we were standing. It was important for us to hold the protest vigil to show that Haringey has a zero tolerance to Islamophobia, racism and all other forms of xenophobia.
Lina, the victim of the Islamophobic attack addressed the crowd saying that Muslim women are easy, visible targets for racists because of their hijab. She appealed to Muslim women and others to always report hate crimes.
Cllr Khaled Moyeed 