London: A British Muslim woman in her 20s was forced to the ground in a busy shopping area in London and dragged along by her hijab by two teenaged men in what authorities said was a hate crime.
The woman was walking alone in Chingford, east London, when she was accosted by her attackers. Scotland Yard is now appealing for information on the incident that occurred earlier this week.
"The London Ambulance Service attended and treated the victim, aged in her 20s, for her injuries at the scene. It was reported that two unknown males approached the victim from the side, pulled off her headscarf and then pushed her to the floor," a Metropolitan Police statement said.
"The suspects are described as two white males, aged 17 to 19. They were wearing all black clothing. No arrests have been made," it said.
There has been a rise in hate crime allegations across the UK following the EU referendum.
Figures released by the UK National Police Chief's Council showed reported incidents rose to 58 per cent in the week following the vote for Brexit on June 23 and levels have remained high throughout the year.
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), the UK's anti- Islamophobia group, called the latest incident "horrific" and said women were being disproportionately targeted in attacks on Muslims.
A Met Police spokesperson said, "The service has long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities and the hidden nature of this crime, which remains largely under- reported. Positive action is taken to investigate all hate crime allegations, support victims and their families and bring perpetrators to justice."
