Home Secretary Sajid Javid has told of being a victim of hate crime as he vowed to tackle intolerant behaviour, international media reported.
The UK politician said he had been called names such as "a coconut, Uncle Tom and much worse" since taking on his Cabinet post earlier this year. His revelations come as ministers prepare to publish a new blueprint aimed at improving the response to and raising awareness of offences that target a victim because of personal characteristics such as race, religion or sexual orientation. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Javid said he had also been sent a "Punish a Muslim Day" letter. "No matter who you are, these attacks have a personal effect," he said. "Sadly, we still hear incidents of intolerance, whether it's a migrant being told they don't belong, a disabled child being verbally abused, a Muslim woman having her veil torn off or anonymous keyboard cowards infecting the internet with hatred."
Promising his commitment to "stamping out this sickening behaviour", the MP added: "It is the responsibility of us all to tackle intolerance so that we can live our lives in this great, vibrant country." The new government clampdown will see taxi drivers and door staff given guidance on spotting hate crime, while the Law Commission will carry out a review to explore how to make current legislation more effective.
Spikes in reports of hate offences have been registered following events such as the Brexit vote in June 2016 and the Westminster terror attack last year. There were 80,393 hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in 2016/17, an increase of 29% compared with 2015/16.