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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, a man has been arrested after walking into a mosque allegedly carrying weapons including an axe and a knife after police were called to Manchester Central Mosque, while British far-right activist Tommy Robinson says he visited the United States Department of State, where he was “welcomed by government officials and supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement”, and in the U.S., the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philly) demanded a hate crime investigation following a shooting at the Pike County Islamic Center in Matamoras, Pennsylvania. Our recommended read of the day is by The New Arab on recent findings by the European Legal Support Center (ELSC), which verified 964 cases of “anti-Palestinian repression” between January 2019 and August 2025 in the UK. This and more below:
United Kingdom
Legal group documents nearly 1,000 UK cases of anti-Palestinian repression | Recommended Read
A legal rights organisation has documented almost 1,000 incidents in which pro-Palestine voices were targeted in the UK, describing the pattern as a broad crackdown on the solidarity movement. The European Legal Support Center (ELSC) says it verified 964 cases of "anti-Palestinian repression" between January 2019 and August 2025, including cases of student investigations, arrests of activists, workplace disciplinary action and the cancellation of cultural events. The findings, compiled with researchers from Forensic Architecture, form an online 'Index of Repression', a publicly accessible database tracking reported incidents across sectors. "We're launching this database to show that repression of the Palestine solidarity movement in Britain is pervasive," said Amira Abdelhamid, ELSC's director of research and monitoring, during the launch on Wednesday. read the complete article
'Stop fanning the flames' of anti-Muslim hatred, says Labour MP
Labour's Imran Hussain, the MP for Bradford East, uses his question to ask about an incident at Manchester Central Mosque. read the complete article
Man arrested after 'axe carried into mosque'
A man has been arrested after walking into a mosque allegedly carrying weapons including an axe and a knife. Police were called to Manchester Central Mosque on Upper Park Road in Victoria Park, Rusholme, at about 20:40 GMT on Tuesday to reports that two men were acting suspiciously. Greater Manchester Police said a man in his 40s had been arrested on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon and possession of Class B drugs, while officers were trying to locate a second man. Afzal Khan, Manchester Rusholme MP, told the BBC: "This is the consequence of far-right politicians scapegoating Muslims. This is Islamophobia, plain and simple." The force said it was working with detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West but it had not formally declared the incident to be terror-related, a position which has been questioned by representatives from the mosque. read the complete article
International
UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson talks up US State Department visit
British far-right activist Tommy Robinson says he visited the United States Department of State as part of a recent trip to Washington, DC, where he was welcomed by government officials and supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. “In America making alliances & friendships, today I had the privilege of an invite to the @StateDept,” Robinson posted on X on Wednesday, alongside a photo of himself next to a US flag. Robinson is a household name in the UK, notorious for his anti-Muslim rhetoric and multiple prison terms. He was also a cofounder of the now-defunct far-right English Defence League – a street protest movement. US State Department official Joe Rittenhouse, who is a senior adviser for the department’s Consular Affairs bureau, said he met with Robinson, calling him a “free speech warrior”. Social media posts show that during his trip to Washington, Robinson also met far-right US influencer Jack Posobiec and filmed a video with Congressman Randy Fine, a Republican from Florida, who has a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Robinson said on X that he will next travel to Florida. read the complete article
Why is Elon Musk backing Tommy Robinson?
The world’s richest man appears to be in the throes of an unsettling bromance with Britain’s most famous Far Right influencer; social media exchanges, podcast appearances and cryptocurrency sponsorships underpin their murky trans-atlantic alliance. In our last episode, we investigated why pro-Israel American Conservatives are backing Robinson; this time, we take a deep-dive into Robinson’s past to understand why Musk is turbo-charging his anti-immigrant, anti-Islam movement as a way to influence politics here in the United Kingdom. read the complete article
India's opposition slams Modi's Israel visit, accuses him of 'befriending war criminal'
India’s opposition parties have mounted fierce criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his visit to Israel, calling the trip a betrayal of India’s historic foreign policy principles and a display of “moral cowardice” at a moment of intense global scrutiny of Israeli policies. The visit has drawn fire at home even as Modi seeks to strengthen strategic cooperation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including defence, technology and bilateral ties. On Wednesday, Modi also addressed the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, a historic first for an Indian leader. Modi told the Knesset that India stands with Israel “firmly with full conviction". The main opposition, the Indian National Congress, accused Modi of exhibiting “moral cowardice” by flying to Israel while much of the world criticises its genocide in Gaza. read the complete article
United States
NYC Councilmember Vickie Paladino faces blowback, censure calls for post decried as ‘Islamophobic’
A recent post on New York City Councilmember Vickie Paladino’s social media account, decried as “Islamophobic” by her Democratic colleagues, has stirred fresh outrage over remarks tied to the Queens Republican. Several Council members, including Speaker Julie Menin, a Democrat, criticized Paladino after a post went up on her social media account critical of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s appointment of Faiza Ali, a Muslim American woman and former Council staffer born and raised in Brooklyn, as the city’s chief immigration officer. “New York is under foreign occupation. There's really no other way to put it,” Paladino’s account posted on social media. “Does this administration have one single actual American in it?” Menin condemned the post in a social media post of her own, stating, “This Islamophobic rhetoric is deeply offensive,” and adding, “I condemn it in the strongest terms.” Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, another Democrat, said in a post that “Racism and Islamophobia have no place in City Hall.” read the complete article
US Muslim group demands hate crime probe after shooting at mosque in Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philly) demanded a hate crime investigation Wednesday following a shooting at the Pike County Islamic Center in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. read the complete article
Israel
Fourth Time in Five Days: Far-right Agitators Harass Arab Israeli Journalist Outside Her Home
Protesters outside Channel 13's Lucy Aharish house shouted phrases such as 'Inshallah you have a heart attack,' and 'Let the IDF win, f*ck the Arabs,' as several hurled rocks at a Haaretz photographer on the scene. One person was arrested outside her door. read the complete article