Race hate attacks on rise after Brexit vote

A mum has today spoken about being subjected to a tirade of racial abuse after new figures show a rise in hate crime in Lancashire.
RISIGN FIGURES: Hate crime officer PC Stuart Rutlidge and police link worker Farhet Quraishi at an anti-racism event in Preston earlier in the yearRISIGN FIGURES: Hate crime officer PC Stuart Rutlidge and police link worker Farhet Quraishi at an anti-racism event in Preston earlier in the year
RISIGN FIGURES: Hate crime officer PC Stuart Rutlidge and police link worker Farhet Quraishi at an anti-racism event in Preston earlier in the year

The woman, who does not wish to be named, was subjected to taunts at her 84-year-old father’s home in the Broadgate area of Preston.

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Yobs threw pork products at the pensioner’s home and when his daughter came to clean it up she was subjected to racist abuse.

TAUNT: Tissues were thrown at the elderly mans windowTAUNT: Tissues were thrown at the elderly mans window
TAUNT: Tissues were thrown at the elderly mans window

The pensioner, who emigrated in the 1950s to take up work at Courthaulds factory, is disabled, partly deaf and has poor sight.

His Muslim faith means he is forbidden to touch pig flesh.

The incident comes as figures show an increase in hate crimes in Lancashire in June - when the Brexit decision was announced - compared to the same month last year.

Police data released under the Freedom of information Act shows incidents spiked by almost 70 per cent from 154 offences to 259, with racial or religious offences up 80 per cent.

TAUNT: Tissues were thrown at the elderly mans windowTAUNT: Tissues were thrown at the elderly mans window
TAUNT: Tissues were thrown at the elderly mans window
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The mum-of-four said: “My dad is very vulnerable. It’s been ongoing for a few weeks and I feel no-one is taking us seriously.

“It started with (things being) posted through his letterbox during Eid, and then bits of tissue thrown at his windows, but I’d say it has escalated since the referendum.

“My brother was returning from prayers and found meat on the door handle. I came out and rang the police. While we were waiting a man in a neighbouring house was shouting to a female visitor: ‘There’s sausage on their door’.”

The woman then insulted her.

But Faruk Desai, director of Preston and West Lancashire’s Racial Equality Council, urged caution over the figures and said overall things were improving.

He said: “Any increase is concerning, however from April 2015 to March 2016 we recorded 599 incidents compared to 644 the year before - and that in itself was 15 per cent down on the previous year.”