Dear Worshippers at Shah Jalal Mosque and the Wider Muslim Community of Crewe,

We have been horrified by the scenes of far-right violence in the streets of the UK in recent days. Attacks against Muslims and asylum seekers have no place in our society, and we oppose these actions in the strongest possible terms.

We have been particularly appalled by the targeting of mosques, including in Southport and Middlesbrough, as well as the vandalism experienced by Muslim shop-owners, targeted specifically because of their ethnicity and religion. The racist and Islamophobic attacks against individual people of colour have been equally disgraceful.

We believe that the Muslim communities of Britain are an integral part of our society and draw no distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims when it comes to what we value about our country. In Crewe, we view the Muslim community as a long-standing and central pillar of our town, and we will stand by you if you ever come under attack.

We note that these mobilisations happened just days after a fascist demonstration in London called by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson. We note also that that demonstration was a response to 17 national demonstrations against the war in Palestine. As such, the attacks in recent days can be directly linked to the question of Palestine: the fight for a free Palestine and the fight against fascism in the UK are two sides of the same coin.

We cannot begin to imagine how terrifying such events must be for you. While we have recoiled at the behaviour of the fascists and fascist sympathisers, for you, your families and your wider community these incidents represent an existential threat. Please know that we are with you and will remain with you to ensure your community continues to be a key part of our town.

Britain has a proud history of defeating fascists and racists. We can defeat them again. We are the majority, they are the few. We stand up to racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. We are united in mobilising against the far right and fascism.

Sending solidarity and best wishes