The number of Islamophobic social media posts aimed at London Mayor Sadiq Khan has more than doubled in the past year, according to new analysis commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA). Almost 28,000 posts referencing Khan included a key Islamophobic phrase in 2024, up from 12,000 in 2023 and an eight-fold increase from 2022. So far this year, over 2,180 such posts have been recorded.
The vast majority of abuse was posted on X (formerly Twitter), with 89% of all Islamophobic posts about Khan since 2015 originating on the platform. Khan, a prominent voice against online abuse, has criticised X owner Elon Musk for worsening the problem and has called for stricter laws under the Online Safety Act, which he says should be “the floor, not the ceiling” of action.
Patrik Hermansson, senior researcher at Hope Not Hate, said Khan’s Muslim identity makes him a target for Islamophobic conspiracy theories, including the false narrative that London is becoming a Muslim-majority city. The peak of such abuse occurred in 2019, with nearly 42,000 messages, largely driven by posts from India following protests at the Indian high commission in London.
Khan has faced racist abuse since his election in 2016, including from former US President Donald Trump, who called him a “national disgrace” in 2017 and linked immigration to crime in 2018. Separately, Reform donor Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, was threatened with removal of his OBE after saying “someone should kill” Khan over the Ulez scheme. Mullins later apologised and was warned about future conduct after agreeing to diversity training.
