Three Women To Appear In Court Over Attack On Muslim Woman

The Croydon Advertiser reports today that three women are due to appear in court for attacking a Muslim woman outside the Al-Khair primary school in Croydon on June 4 this year.

The victim was racially abused, punched and her headscarf torn off her head before a passer-by intervened in an attack orchestrated by the gang of women as the victim was on her way to collect her children from school.

The Metropolitan police arrested two women at the scene and a third was interviewed later in connection with the assault, Croydon Advertiser reports.

Emma Marie Camilleri, aged 35, was charged with racially aggravated common assault, criminal damage and a racially aggravated public order offence. Sarah Gaskin, aged 18 was charged with racially aggravated common assault and Ashleigh Gaskin, aged 18, has been served a summons to the court for racially aggravated common assault.

The three women are due to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 18 September 2015.

Islamophobic hate crime is on the rise in London according to crime statistics by the Metropolitan Police Service, with Muslim women more likely to be targeted than Muslim men.

Research shows that veiled Muslim women are often victims of anti-Muslim hate crime due to the visibility of certain symbols such as the headscarf or face veil.

Hate crime incidents involving young female attackers are becoming more frequent; just two weeks ago four teenage girls were arrested after verbally abusing a Muslim couple on a Manchester tram.

Two of the women appearing at Croydon Magistrates’ Court in connection with the assault last month are teenagers.

The incidents reinforce survey results published earlier this year by Show Racism the Red Card detailing the negative perceptions of Muslims prevalent among young Britons.