Tell MAMA is supporting the Muslim woman who was photographed on Westminster Bridge during the Westminster terror attack.
Through our support service, the woman, whose identity we protect, has given us a statement to give her side of events. We have published it in full below.
“I’m shocked and totally dismayed at how a picture of me is being circulated on social media. To those individuals who have interpreted and commented on what my thoughts were in that horrific and distressful moment, I would like to say not only have I been devastated by witnessing the aftermath of a shocking and numbing terror attack, I’ve also had to deal with the shock of finding my picture plastered all over social media by those who could not look beyond my attire, who draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia.
My thoughts at that moment were one of sadness, fear, and concern. What the image does not show is that I had talked to other witnesses to try and find out what was happening, to see if I could be of any help, even though enough people were at the scene tending to the victims. I then decided to call my family to say that I was fine and was making my way home from work, assisting a lady along the way by helping her get to Waterloo station. My thoughts go out to all the victims and their families. I would like to thank Jamie Lorriman, the photographer who took the picture, for speaking to the media in my defence”.
We urge media outlets to share this statement, not her photo, due to the distress and fear this has caused. An innocent bystander who was targeted online for no other reason than her Muslim identity. There should be no place for hatred on social media, it’s why we continue to work with Twitter on this matter to try and get content removed.