A woman in her 20s was assaulted in broad daylight on a busy street in Tottenham, north London, in what police have described as a racially motivated hate crime. The victim was walking along High Road with a friend on 28 September when two males approached from behind and pulled down her hijab before fleeing towards Pelham Road.
The woman was not physically injured but left shocked and distressed, according to the Metropolitan Police. Officers are appealing for witnesses and information to trace the suspects.
The first suspect is described as a white man, aged in his late 20s or early 30s, with blond or ginger shaved hair and stubble, approximately 5ft 6in tall, wearing a burgundy hooded top. The second suspect is described as a man of Mediterranean appearance, aged in his late 20s or early 30s, clean-shaven with spiky hair, wearing a grey hooded top.
Detective Constable Ben Cousin said: 'This was a shocking attack in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street.' The incident comes ahead of National Hate Crime Awareness week, during which officers will engage with communities about hate crime concerns.
The Met has recorded a rise in nearly all areas of hate crime over the past 12 months, with Islamophobic attacks increasing by 65%—the second largest rise—including a spate of religiously aggravated attacks on individuals presumed to be Muslim based on their attire.
