SADIQ Khan has 24-hour police protection following repeated threats on social media. The London Mayor said he had suffered rising levels of abuse since the 2016 Brexit referendum. City Hall has referred 17 cases to the Metropolitan Police in a three-month period last year, with 237 threats on social media, The Times reported. Mr Khan, […]
SADIQ Khan has 24-hour police protection following repeated threats on social media.
The London Mayor said he had suffered rising levels of abuse since the 2016 Brexit referendum.
City Hall has referred 17 cases to the Metropolitan Police in a three-month period last year, with 237 threats on social media, The Times reported.
Mr Khan, who was MP for Tooting before defeating Zac Goldsmith to succeed Boris Johnson as mayor, told the paper’s magazine the abuse had gone from “name-calling, trolling and threats to terrorism”.
He said: “It can’t be right that one of the consequences of me being the mayor of London and a Muslim in public life is that I have police protection.
The referendum campaign allowed things to come to the surface and normalised things that should not be normalised
Sadiq Khan
“The referendum campaign allowed things to come to the surface and normalised things that should not be normalised.”
The Labour politician said there had been a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and homophobia, but that he did not place the blame for this at the door of Leavers.
However, he told the magazine: “It starts with name-calling, it can lead to criminal damage and graffiti (and) ultimately to the situation where Jo Cox is murdered or a terrorist can come to London and try to divide communities.”
The comments come after Khan reopened his war with Donald Trump – claiming the President had given a “green light” to sex pests.
The London Mayor called on Theresa May to confront Mr Trump during his state visit to the UK next month.
And he said the Queen should scrap the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in Mr Trump’s honour.
Asked about the President’s treatment of women, Mr Khan told LBC: “The impression is given you can get away with it, it’s like a get out of jail card.
“There’s a boasting and bragging, it’s almost a green light for others to behave badly.”
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