The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out about a rise in hate crimes recorded since the result of the EU referendum.
Reports to police have risen 60% in the last week.
Most Revd Justin Welby has said that these acts can never be justified.
He told Sky News: "It is an evil thing to do, the logical extension of hatred is what we see here.
"What we need is the capacity to speak with respect and love and compassion and grace to each other, even when we disagree."
The number of hate crime incidents reported to a national police portal since the EU referendum have been five times the typical weekly level, new figures have revealed.
From last Thursday to Wednesday this week 331 incidents were reported to the True Vision online site - equivalent to 47 every day.
The tally compared with a weekly average of 63 reports.
It was also revealed that analysis of reports shows an increase in community tension directed at the migrant community since the referendum.
Justin Welby went on: "There seems to have been a very, very sharp rise in xenophobia and in hate crime.
"We have to say the referendum is irrelevant to that, it's poisonous, it's deeply wrong."
Article by Hannah Tooley
Hannah Tooley is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
