But beneath the celebratory mood ran an undercurrent of anxiety. In the week following the EU referendum, police recorded a fivefold increase in hate-based abuse and attacks. Much of it has been directed at migrants from EU countries, but Muslims have also felt a marked increase in vulnerability.
Particular blame for stoking tensions has been directed at a Ukip poster showing a column of refugees from the Middle East trudging through Europe, with the slogan “Breaking point”.
A public festival to celebrate Eid in Southampton was cancelled last week after a far-right group called the Pie and Mash Squad said it would demonstrate under the slogan “Refugees not welcome”.
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