Last year a record number of anti-Muslim attacks occurred in the UK.

Not only that, but a number of them took place in broad daylight in public spaces, with street altercations being one of the most common types of incident.

It doesn’t help that the Islamophobic rhetoric is further fuelled online by people with "influence", such as Tommy Robinson. Or when, say, Trump retweets posts from Britain First.

The situation has become so dire that extremists have allegedly dubbed April 3 as ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ (though, according to the indy100 , the Met have insisted there’s no reason to believe any criminal activity will take place).

If you witness Islamophobic harassment, there are things you can do to help.

Marie-Shirine Yener, from Paris, is a 22-year-old illustrator who has put together a guide to advise people on what to do if they see a Muslim being harassed.

1. Ignore the attacker, and talk to the victim

If you see someone verbally abusing a Muslim, calmly go over and say "hello", avoiding eye-contact with the attacker.

2. Strike up a conversation about something completely random

3. Maintain this conversation and keep ignoring the attacker

4. Stay with them until the attacker leaves

Marie-Shirine’s strategy is based on "non-complimentary" behaviour, which is a psychological tactic used to break a connection an attacker is trying to make with a victim.

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