Green Party leader Dr Caroline Lucas MEP spoke out today against the growth of Islamophobia in the UK:
"The Green Party's view is clear: everyone in Britain must be free to follow their chosen faith, or none, fully confident that their right to do so will be vigorously upheld by government."
"Racism is a blot on the face of civilisation, and must be wiped out."
"Singling-out a particular racial or religious group and victimising them is completely unacceptable and must not for a second be tolerated."
Dr Lucas, who was recently re-elected as an MEP for South East England, and who will contest the Brighton Pavilion constituency in the coming general election, signed up to a statement issued by a number of politicians and other prominent figures.
The full statement reads as below:
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Muslims in Britain are facing attacks on many fronts. These include:
* The high-profile arrests under terror legislation of Muslims who are subsequently released without charge, creating a climate of fear and harassment
* An increase in violent attacks on Muslims in the streets and on Muslim places of worship;
* The targetting of Muslims by the far-right British National Party;
* Aggressive policing of Muslims on demonstrations, apparently designed to deter them from participating in peaceful protests;
* The racist misrepresentation of Muslim views and practices in the mass media;
* The political harassment of Muslim leaders by government ministers.
These and other developments threaten to create a climate of hostility towards Muslims in Britain in contradiction to traditional tolerance and damaging to community cohesion.
We believe that all people should come together in support of Muslims in Britain, and not leave them to confront these challenges alone. We call for a broad-based campaign to confront the growth of racist attitudes towards Muslims and rising governmental and state harassment of Muslim citizens.