Jayda Fransen accused of religiously aggravated hate crimes – Again.

Jayda Fransen – the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First – appeared in court on the 30^th of January being charged with religiously-aggravated harassment.

The 31-year old from Penge, has been charged with four counts of religiously aggravated harassment.

Ms Fransen went to the home of Tamin Rahmani – who has, along with three others, been convicted of rape – and shouted abuse through the front door.

The partner of Mr Rahmani, Ms Best, reported that Ms Fransen made horrifically racist remarks: “’Dirty Muslim rapist, come out, we’re not going to leave until you’re gone, come out. Dirty scumbags.’”

In speaking about the consequences of the ordeal, Ms Best alleged that the trauma of the incident caused her to lose her unborn daughter: “I was also pregnant at the time it happened; two days after, I started to bleed heavily and lost my daughter, she was stillborn”.

Her son, who was also present, has been reported by Ms Best to be severely traumatised by the ordeal.

“He would make remarks saying ‘I’m not dirty’” when anyone knocks on the door.

This is not the first time Ms Fransen has been accused of a prejudice-aggravated hate crime on a woman in the company of her children.

She was previously convicted in January 2016 in an incident involving Britain First’s Christian patrol where she was found guilty of hurling religiously aggravated abuse at a Muslim woman wearing her hijab in front of her four young children.

She was fined nearly £2,000 at Luton and South Bedfordshire magistrates court.

Over the last few years, the Home Office has detailed a worrying increase in the number of racial and religiously aggravated hate crimes being recorded by the police.

In 2016/17, the police in England and Wales recorded nearly 70,000 such incidents; an increase of almost 30% from the previous year of 2015/16.

It is important that anyone who believes they are in immediate danger from a prejudice-based hate crime should contact the police as soon as possible on 999. If not in immediate danger, or if you have suffered a prejudice-based hate crime in the past, then you can report it using the non-emergency number 101.

You can also – in addition to the police – report any Islamophobic hate crime to MEND’s Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) here. This allows us to monitor levels of abuse and compile accurate data on the levels of Islamophobia.

The IRU can also help you contact and deal with the police (if you choose to do so), and signpost you towards free legal advice and emotional support that may be available.

The verdict, in relation to Ms Fransen’s trial, will be announced on the 7^th of March.