A paid-for public advertisement run last month by Manchester firm Carter Law Solicitors on social media platform Facebook elicited a vitriolic response from commenters, lawyers at the firm report. The ad, which promotes the firm’s specialised family law and divorce practice for ‘observant Muslim clients’, received a string of Islamophobic and xenophobic responses in its ‘comments’ section. The advertisement read:
'Seeking advice on Islamic Family Law, Talaq or Khula? Carter Law will ensure your family matters are dealt with in a Sharia compliant way.'
‘ISLAM has NO PLACE in OUR COUNTRY we are CHRISTIANS and will remain CHRISTIANS’ replied one comment, to which Carter Law responded: ‘Thank you for your insightful comment. We can assure you that our business is neither ‘Islamic’ nor ‘Christian’, and in fact has no religious affiliation.’ Another commented: ‘You need to take your ISLAMIC business and go back to the country where you came from,' while a third wrote: 'There is only one law in the UK: abide by it or GTF OUT.'
Racist abuse on the up
As the abuse began to mount, Carter Law stopped responding to commenters. ‘We are extremely shocked by the racist reactions to the ad we ran on Facebook. The commenters seem to believe that there is some sinister parallel legal system for Muslims, but the services we’re advertising are within the bounds of the law of England and Wales,’ said a statement from the firm. Many commentators, including UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd, have observed an ‘increased climate of hostility’ towards people perceived as foreigners in the wake of the Brexit referendum. According to police, there have been 6,000 reports of hate crimes since mid-June.
Sources: Law Gazette; Manchester Evening News
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