Far-right riots lead to rise in racism against Muslim healthcare workers in the UK

• The rise coincides with a week of riots by far-right mobs, leaving medical staff in fear.
• The riots began after misinformation spread online following a knife attack in Southport, which killed three young girls.
• The rioters targeted mosques, Muslim neighborhoods, businesses, and facilities housing asylum-seekers across the country.

Muslim healthcare professionals in the UK have faced a rise in racism over the past week, according to Dr. Salman Waqar, president of the British Islamic Medical Association. He noted that the increase in incidents coincides with a week of riots by far-right mobs across the UK, leaving medical staff living in fear.

The riots began after misinformation spread online following a knife attack in Southport that killed three young girls. Social media posts falsely claimed that the attacker was a Muslim asylum-seeker. The individual arrested and charged was later identified as a Cardiff-born Christian. Despite this, rioters targeted mosques, Muslim neighborhoods, businesses, and facilities housing asylum-seekers across the country.

“I’ve seen some terrible messages … of people having to close up their GP surgery early, of people being trapped in their practices, of people having to take taxis back and forth from work, people not going on home visits, people working remotely from home, there’s too many to mention and to count,” Waqar told The Guardian.

“From our perspective, in terms of our members reporting how fearful they are, reporting how they’re having to think twice about what they do, international colleagues questioning whether or not they have a future in the UK.

“That is unprecedented, I’ve never seen anything like this before. In terms of the volume, in terms of the strength of feeling, there is no comparison to it.”

He added: “The amount of chatter on social media, on WhatsApp groups, the amount of messages that people are sending to each other to be safe, to look out for one another, that is not normal. And that is alarming, it’s unprecedented.”

The British Egyptian Medical Association stated that its members have faced a “troubling increase in fear of racist abuse and discrimination” over the past week.

“Our members, especially those working in frontline healthcare roles, have expressed heightened concerns about their safety and wellbeing in light of these incidents. The environment has become increasingly hostile, contributing to significant stress and anxiety among medical professionals,” said BEMA, which represents more than 11,000 medical staff in the UK.

“The atmosphere of intimidation has led to increased absenteeism, reduced morale, and a general sense of insecurity among healthcare workers.

“This situation is detrimental to the overall healthcare delivery system, as it affects the wellbeing of those who are critical to its operation.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said earlier this week that NHS hospitals and doctors’ surgeries should turn away anyone who racially abuses medical staff.

Amanda Pritchard, CEO of NHS England, said on Monday: “We shouldn’t let dedication

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