Abuse of people mistaken for migrants not an ‘innocent mistake’, says UK equality campaigner

Head of Runnymede Trust warns toxic rhetoric could lead to rise of vigilante groups that ‘just breed more violence’

The vitriol faced by Scouts and charity rowers mistaken for migrants was not an “innocent mistake”, a race equality campaigner has said, as she warned that toxic rhetoric could lead to more violence and vigilantism.

A wave of anti-migrant protests outside asylum hotels in recent weeks has been followed by growing reports of vigilantism, with people facing abuse after being mistaken for migrants.