When An Arab Carried Out An Islamophobic Attack In London

Nahella Ashraf (center)

An anti-racism campaigner with Stand Up To Racism, Nahella Ashraf, was for the first time in her life a victim of an Islamophobic attack on January 6th. The incident happened when Nahella was attending a conference in Hammersmith and came out to a nearby fish and chop shop during a lunch break in London.  A stranger who was described as having an Arab appearance and accent then walked up to her, grabbed her by the arm and attempted to throw her out of the shop telling her, “You shouldn’t be here”. A colleague of Nahella and a staff worker at the shop approached the attacker inquiring what the problem was and he replied, “People like her, they kill”. As he was being escorted out of the shop, he spat at the face of Nahella. After the attacker left, a worker at the shop phoned the police and the incident has been under investigation since then. Nahella Ashraf, 46, told Manchester Evening New: “I was totally shocked; it all seemed to happen so quickly. I have never had this before. It really shook me up. The staff were really nice, they said he had issues. I’m really surprised this has happened in London, especially in Hammersmith where it’s so multicultural. It just goes to show how serious this situation is. I needed to say something.” This has made observers ask the question, “What was actually his motive?” An attempt to blend-in? Stand Up To Racism organized a vigil to protest the attack, the vigil was attended by over 40 well-wishers.