Fear and Loathing in Great Britain: Has Brexit made the UK a more hateful, racist place to live?

A tumultuous week in politics has coincided with a spike in the number of reported hate crimes

It has been a week that has witnessed unprecedented division in Westminster politics, but perhaps the most astonishing development is the spike in reported hate crime.

According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, there was a 57% increase in reports of hate crime between 23 June and 26 June. These incidents have been reported nationwide – from small villages to large cosmopolitan areas of Newcastle, Manchester and London.

Politicians including David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn, Sadiq Khan and Baroness Warsi have suggested incendiary rhetoric used by the Leave campaign may have triggered the rise.

The hashtag #PostRefRacism has trended on Twitter and Facebook groups like Worrying Signs have been set up, highlighting many incidents of alleged abuse.

Watch the video above to see just some of the examples of hate crime recorded this week.