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Louise Thomas
Editor
Sadiq Khan has warned members of the far-right targeting London they will feel the “full force” of the law.
The Labour mayor has also asked Londoners to check on their friends and neighbours as the capital braces for violence.
“Show them that care and compassion is what Londoners are all about,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“In London, we have zero-tolerance for racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of hate and we pride ourselves on being open, diverse and welcoming of all faiths and backgrounds. It’s woven deeply into the fabric of our great city and is why those who seek to divide our communities will never win.”
Thousands of police officers are preparing for more appalling scenes on the UK’s streets after dozens of immigration centres across the country were named as targets on a far-right “hit list”.
A list of as many as 39 immigration law specialists’ offices, asylum support charities and immigration services have been named alongside their addresses on posts widely circulated on social media in recent days.
The messages sit alongside flame emojis and calls to “mask up”.
Earlier this week, Keir Starmer announced a “standing army” of 6,000 specialist police officers to quell the ongoing violence after more than a week of unrest across England and Northern Ireland.
Mr Khan said he was in contact with police over the situation. He said described the disorder, racism and violence seen in recent days as “truly shocking”.
He said he was aware of reports that far-right groups are now planning to target locations in London and said his message to them was “if you break the law, action will be taken against you”.
“Acts of violence and disorder on the streets of London will not be tolerated and, if you commit a crime, you will be arrested and face the full force of the law,” he added.
Issuing his call to Londoners to check on their friends and neighbours he said that he was aware the recent “shocking scenes have left many Muslims and minority ethnic communities scared and fearful”.
Violence flared around towns and cities around the UK since misinformation was used to inflame tensions following the murder of three girls in Southport.
False claims the alleged attacker was on a watchlist and Muslim were used to stir up far-right mobs.
