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In recent weeks, Islamophobic graffiti has been discovered on mosques in east and south London. In the UK, local authorities have linked these incidents to a digital campaign operating through several Telegram groups, which offered cryptocurrency rewards for violent acts against Muslims. According to The Guardian, participants who created the «most beautiful graffiti» were promised a «gift», including £100 in any cryptocurrency.
These same groups have also called for physical violence, sharing content that incites Quran burnings, instructions for making homemade bombs, and guides on assembling 3D-printed weapons. Some messages even encouraged knife attacks on Muslims, offering financial incentives in return. Posters featuring QR codes linking to these groups and associated TikTok accounts have also appeared in public spaces.
According to The Guardian, the anti-racist group Hope Not Hate suspects that the administrators of these groups may have pro-Russian ties, citing similarities with an account based in Russia or Belarus. Some of the group’s content also includes political messages in Cyrillic script supporting Vladimir Putin. The organization has handed over its findings to counter-terrorism police and the Home Office for further investigation.
The media also notes that this network has previously spread anti-Semitic rhetoric while simultaneously working to fuel anti-Muslim sentiment, in a climate where Islamophobic violence surged by 73% in 2024.
For its part, Telegram has since removed the identified channels, reminding users that its terms of service prohibit calls for violence.
