A London Assembly Member has thanked the Metropolitan Police for their hard work in keeping Londoners safe following the threat of riots last week whilst also highlighting that many communities still feel a huge amount of anxiety and the need for continued engagement.

Hina Bokhari, the Liberal Democrat Leader on the London Assembly said that the Met had done a fantastic job at keeping Londoners safe and responding to the threat of riots in the Capital last week.

She also praised the actions of individual Borough Command Units for their engagement with London’s diverse communities. In particular, Sutton for engaging with Gurdwaras and reaching out to communities that could be ‘perceived to be Muslim’.

Assembly Member Bokhari stated that although the immediate threat of large far right riots seems to have subsided, the events of the past week have left a tremendous amount of anxiety in London’s diverse communities and that continued engagement from the Met is vital to help reassure people.

Commenting Hina Bokhari AM said:

“I’d like to thank all the police officers who have been working so hard to keep us safe over the past week. It’s been a tense and scary time for many Londoners, particularly those who are Muslim or just have dark or brown skin in general. The Met have done a fantastic job at keeping us all safe.

“Londoners came out in force on Wednesday to show the world racism and the far right aren’t welcome in our city. It was an extraordinary show of solidarity and diversity and what makes London such a force for good in the world.

“While the immediate threat of far right violence has subsided slightly, I know many of London’s Muslims and those who may be perceived as Muslim are still feeling extraordinarily anxious and scared.

“It is vital that the Met continue their good engagement with London’s diverse communities other faith groups like Tamils, Hindus and Sikhs over the coming weeks, in particular I’d really like to highlight the good work of Sutton police and others in reaching out to local Gurdwaras recognising Sikh communities are at risk due to the fact they may be perceived as Muslim.

“It is important this good practice is replicated across the whole of London.”