An academic conference tackling the alarming rise in Islamophobia in the UK has had to be relocated say organisers Birkbeck College will not host the conference organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission. The conference will now be held at an alternative venue.
In statement organisers said, "The turnaround came after calls on social media by Britain First.
"While IHRC believes that the safety of everyone is paramount it is not justifiable to allow threats and intimidation by a tiny minority to disrupt the normal flow of everyday life."
The conference, which is being supported by 19 Muslim and non-Muslim organisations including Stop the War Coalition and Campaign against Criminalising Communities, is due to feature speeches by leading academics in the fields of race relations, Islamophobia, multiculturalism and securitisation, exploring and suggesting responses to the soaring levels of Islamophobia in the UK.
IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said: "It is staggering to think that an Islamophobia conference held in an academic arena can itself become the victim of institutional Islamophobia at so many levels.
"Thankfully we have managed to arrange another venue and the conference will go ahead."
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