MOSCOW (Sputnik) – London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday called on the residents of the UK capital to be more tolerant and stand against any rise in hate crimes in light of the recent referendum that has the potential to create a rift in society.
"So it's really important we stand guard against any rise in hate crimes or abuse by those who might use last week's referendum as cover to seek to divide us," Sadiq Khan said in a statement published online.
Khan stressed that there is no need to be negative or aggressive toward the 1.5 million people in London who voted for Brexit.
"While I and millions of others disagreed with their decision, they took it for a variety of reasons and this shouldn't be used to accuse them of being xenophobic or racist," the mayor added.
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union, with over 50 percent of the UK public voting in support of Brexit.
