UK police launch appeal after man tried to rip headscarf off London woman in hate crime

A woman wearing a headscarf was assaulted in a "hate crime" in London in January, according to a statement released by the British Transport Police on Friday.

A man approached the woman on-board a DLR service as it approached Poplar station in East London and made racial slurs about her headscarf and attempted to pull it off, the statement reads. 

The man then reportedly ripped the victim's rucksack off her back, causing its strap to tear, the press release added.

London Transport Police say officers are investigating the issue, and have called for witnesses to assist their investigation by identifying a white man wearing a red jacket and a blue hood, who was captured by a CCTV camera.

Headscarves are commonly worn by Muslim women, in which cases they are referred to as hijabs, worn by many who believe it is an obligatory garment for women in Islam.

The UK's Home Office last October found 45 percent of religious hate crimes - where the perceived religion of the victim was recorded - across England and Wales were aimed at Muslims, during the year ending March 2021.

Islamophobia has also been reported among the ranks of the UK's politicians after Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani claimed in January she was sacked from her governmental role as a transport minister in 2020 because of her Muslim faith.

The British Labour party urged the leading Conservative government to step up efforts to tackling Islamophobia in the UK. They have slammed the Tories for not adopting a working definition of Islamophobia and ignoring fears of a rise in hate towards Muslim communities.