Credit: Redlentil (Wiki Commons)

A week after a man was seen hurling racial abuse in Hackney following the EU referendum results, the borough’s Speaker has sent a message to worried residents.

Councillor Rosemary Sales, the Speaker of Hackney said: “It’s been a turbulent couple of weeks, and I know many residents will be feeling uncomfortable and worried about reported increases in hate crime across the country. So I want to send out a clear message to Hackney residents: no matter where you come from, you are welcome here. This is all our home. You are our friends, our neighbours and our colleagues – and nobody will divide us. Hate crime has no place in our borough, our city or our country.

“Hackney has a proud tradition of bringing people from all walks of life and backgrounds together. Our residents get on which one another, and this is one of the things that makes Hackney such a great place to live.  We are stronger because of our diversity, tolerance and respect for each other.

“People from across the world make a valuable contribution to Hackney, from working in vital public services like Homerton Hospital, our schools, and of course the Council, to working on our regeneration estates, helping to build the homes our city desperately needs.

She also added that in such times, it is “vital that we stand united together and take pride in our borough.”

Following the Brexit vote, the UK has witnessed an increase in rate of hate crime.

A statement by National Police Chief’s Council showed that reported hate crimes have risen by 57 per cent since the EU referendum results.

Hate crimes can be reported through 999 in an emergency, 101 in a non-emergency or community groups such as True Vision, Stop Hate UK or The Monitoring.