Finsbury Park Mosque chairman Mohammed Kozbar, Makram’s daughter Ruzina Akhtar, and Met police chief inspector for the neigh­bourhood

THE politics of “division and hatred” is on the rise in Britain, political leaders warned at a commemoration for the Finsbury Park Mosque attack.

Nine years ago, Makram Ali was killed and 11 other were injured after Darren Osbourne drove his van into a crowd of worshippers outside of the Mosque in St Thomas Street.

Every year, Mr Ali’s family, politicians and community leaders gather to pay respect and reflect on the attack, and the anti-Muslim sentiment that drove it.

At this year’s event, last Friday, two wreaths were laid underneath an olive tree, a global symbol for peace, planted for Mr Ali at Clifton Gardens.

Themes of far-right aggression and growing anti-migrant sentiment were addressed in speeches made by both of Islington’s MPs, new Mayor Cllr Rosaline Ogunro, and Mohammed Kozbar, chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque, among others.

Just hours after the last speech had been made, five people were attacked across the city of Edinburgh in anti-Muslim incidents that started with two people being stabbed after leaving their local Mosque.

Islington mayor Cllr Rosaline Ogunro, deputy mayor Dr Debbie Weekes, Dame Emily Thornberry and deputy mayor of London Kaya Comer-Schwartz

Mr Kozbar said that aggressive anti-migrant protests and the increasing threat of violence was making the Muslim community in the UK “vulnerable”, as he called for more support and “reassurance” from both the government and the police.

He added: “What we hear from other Mosques and people within the community now is that people don’t feel safe any more.

“We will continue to be here for Makram Ali and his family every year, until we get to the point that we don’t need to do it again.”

Mr Kozbar’s assessments on the rise of Islamaphobia were echoed by Islington South and Finsbury MP Dame Emily Thornberry.

Speaking to the Tribune, she said: “Nine years ago, I think we were at a peak of hatred and division.

“It seemed to go down a little after that, but unfortunately it is rising back up.

“My worry is that it is definitely being stirred up by those who think they will personally benefit from it.

Makram Ali, who was killed nine years ago in an attack on the Mosque in Finsbury Park; below: a plaque in his memory

“There is no place for that sort of politics in Britain, we are a unique society and we should be proud of that.”

Dame Emily has been a vocal critic of the current Labour administration’s immigration policy, calling home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s proposals to reform indefinite leave to remain “unfair”.

“As politicians, we have even more responsibility because we have a louder voice than anyone else,” she said.

“We have to make sure that our political voices are thoughtful and tolerant, to express proper and true values of Britain and not to try and break people up.”

In 2025 a report released by Tell Mama found that anti-Muslim hate incidents were at the “highest level ever”, citing a rise in anti-immigraton rhetoric among politicians, as well as a global conflicts, as having a “negative effect on attitudes towards Muslims”.

Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn recalled the “horror” of the events that took place in his constituency nine years ago, and said that more needed to be done to curb the “rise of the far-right and fascism”.

Mr Corbyn told the Tribune: “Farage and company are blaming refugees and migrants for every problem in our society, they know it is dishonest and they know it is nonsense, but they keep saying it. And many of the papers are simply repeating it all of the time. And as an act of cowardice other politicians start to feed into it by saying ‘we’re going to stop the boats, we’re going to stop refugees’, but these are human being involved there, just like you and me.

“So let’s have a human approach to it all.”