MEND writes to the Prime Minister

Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson,

In light of the tragic deaths of at least nine individuals in Germany this morning, I am writing to you on behalf of Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) to bring to your attention the global threat of far-right violence that raises concerns for the welfare of minority communities across the UK.

Amidst the rise of far-right violence, the xenophobic attitudes and populist rhetoric that have surrounded discussions of Brexit have become normalised within public spaces and compounded by Islamophobic statements made by our politicians, including yourself.
As such, we must ask you to recognise both the threat posed by the far-right and the role of xenophobic and divisive political rhetoric that allows such ideologies to thrive.

As Prime Minister, it is incumbent upon you to ensure the cohesion, safety, and prosperity of every citizen of this nation. Therefore, following our letter to you in January, we call upon you for a second time to publicly disavow and apologise for the regrettable racist and disparaging comments that you have made on multiple occasions towards members of Britain’s ethnic and religious minorities. Moreover, it is only by taking meaningful steps towards eliminating hate within your own party that minority communities can have confidence in your Government’s willingness and ability to tackle hate crime in wider society.

MEND, therefore, calls upon you to:

1. Publicly disavow and apologise for your previous regrettable racist and disparaging comments that you have made towards members of Britain’s ethnic and religious minorities.
2. Clearly outline the Government’s plans to tackle far-right politically motivated violence in the UK.
3. Confirm your commitment to financing mosque security in a manner that is proportional to risk, in line with what is already correctly provided to Jewish religious institutions.
4. Outline the Government’s strategy to implement primary legislation to deal with social media offences and hate speech online, including the removal of extreme content.

We would very much appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issue of Islamophobia with you in person and the ways in which we might assist you in meaningful engagement with Muslim communities. Please do contact me at the above details with any available dates that you might have.

Yours Faithfully,

Isobel Ingham-Barrow,

Head of Policy

MEND