Elham Asaad Buaras

According to latest police figures from the Metropolitan Police Islamophobic incidents in London have more than tripled in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Statistics show there were 76 such recorded offences between November 17 and 24.

In the seven days up to November 10, three days before the Paris attacks took place on November 13, there were 24 Muslim hate crimes.

In a statement to The Muslim News Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “We believe the increase in Islamophobic hate crime is due to a range of factors.

“This includes a growing willingness of victims to report hate crime, an improved awareness of staff in identifying these offences; and work with partners to support victims.

“World events can also contribute to a rise in hate crime. We are acutely aware that all areas of hate crime are still under-reported and we are encouraged that more people feel confident to report racial and religious hate crimes, regardless if this is direct to police or via a third party or online.”

Police say they have increased patrols around London’s mosques and in areas with large Muslim populations.

In one incident, a man hurled a jerry can full of petrol at Finsbury Park Mosque in what police are treating as a “clear and deliberate attempt to cause arson”.

And just days after the Paris attacks a young Londoner was forced to step in when a teenage girl wearing a hijab was threatened by an older man on board a tube train.