There was a flurry of concerned activity on Twitter at the weekend when a tweet (above) appeared to show Cllr Orleen Hylton the Mayor of Brent ignoring an Islamophobic incident that has just occured. Comments were made yesterday and this morning calling for Brent Council to pay more than lip-service to challenging anti-Muslim abuse.
After confirmation that the photograph did show Cllr Hylton, Brent Council took to Twitter with an explanation and a commitment to challenge Islamophobia LINK:
Cllr Orleen Hylton, Mayor of Brent, says:
It is horrifying that a young women, with her child, could be verbally abused just because of her faith in a packed TfL bus in broad daylight.
I didn't witness the full situation unfold although I did hear raised voices when I was sat at the front of the bus. It was at the stop before mine, as I was preparing to get off, that I moved to the exit doors.
As a single female travelling alone, I know the victim must have felt very intimidated – as I did too.
I do sincerely hope that the victim is ok and that the Police and TfL are investigating thoroughly so he can be brought to justice.
Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, said:
There is absolutely no place for hate crime anywhere in the UK, but especially in one of most diverse boroughs in the country.
We would like to thank the individual who has highlighted this terrible case of Islamophobia in our borough. We have been in touch with the Police and TfL and trust that a thorough investigation will take place.
Islamophobia is a blight on our communities, it is a vile and unacceptable form of discrimination that has no place in our borough we will continue the fight to make sure that Brent is an inclusive and accepting place for people of all faiths and backgrounds.
This November, for the second year running, we will host and support a range of events to mark Islamophobia Awareness Month to show that we are all united and that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated in our community.
We will continue our work to raise awareness of Islamophobia in all its forms.
First reactions to the Council tweet remained critical:
