Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says he is not safe as a Muslim politician and was “triggered” by the far-right riots across the UK in recent weeks.
Mr Khan has a 15-strong team of police officers who protect him “around the clock” and faced death threats after his 2016 election victory.
Asked if he felt safe given his religion during the riots, he said: “Clearly I’m not safe, which is why I’ve got police protection.”
The Mayor expressed alarm at recent events, likening them to the racial tensions he faced growing up in the 1970s and 80s.
He drew direct comparisons to his encounters with far-right groups like the BNP and National Front, voicing surprise and concern at seeing similar attitudes resurface in today’s Britain.
“Like a lot of people of my generation, I felt triggered by the events of the last couple of weeks in particular," Mr Khan told the Guardian.
He added: “It's difficult to explain the ripples when you've been targeted because of your religion or colour of your skin and you can't change either of those things. And whether you're seeing physical acts of violence taking place in the north-west or the north-east, you feel it in London.
“What's heartbreaking to me is my children's generation had never experienced what I had. And they, for the first time, were scared. I thought I'd be the last generation to be scared, simply for who I am. And it breaks my heart."
The Mayor also criticised former Conservative ministers for their rhetoric. When asked about recent comments by Lee Anderson, who accused Khan of being controlled by Islamists, he condemned the use of inflammatory language.
"I think for the last few years we've seen politicians, including from the last government, use language that's not guarded," Khan stated.
"Talking about an invasion, talking about Islam running the country, talking about Islam running London. This sort of language leads to people believing some of this stuff."
He added: "I think good politicians, positive politicians address people's fears, poor ones play on people's fears. And these ones play on people's fears with tropes and conspiracy theories, and they should reflect on the consequences of that.”
Mr Khan also urged the Government to rework plans for new social media laws, as the riots' disinformation origin shows the Online Safety Act is "not fit for purpose".
Under the Act, which takes full effect later this year, tech companies must evaluate the risk of illegal content on their platforms, implement measures to prevent its appearance and swiftly remove such content when detected.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer convened a Cobra meeting to address the ongoing protest threats on Wednesday.
He told the committee that the country needed to stay on "high alert" and credited rapid justice as a deterrent to further disorder.
Mr Starmer acknowledged that Wednesday night had been “much better than was expected” but emphasised the need for continued efforts.
Police, politicians and communities across the UK expressed relief that more than 100 possible far-right demonstrations did not take place on Wednesday night. Instead, thousands of anti-racist protesters took to the streets across the country.
In Croydon, south London, there were some pockets of antisocial behaviour, with the Metropolitan Police insisting these were not related to any protests.
In Northern Ireland, a number of race-related hate crimes and disorder occurred, with police making five arrests.
In total, about 36 demonstrations around the country took place with "minimal disorder and only a handful of arrests", the National Police Chiefs' Council said.
Ministers and police said measures put in place had deterred far-right protesters, and officials hailed better coordination and increased Government support.
Some offenders have been arrested, charged and jailed within 72 hours of committing an offence, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
The Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: "The show of force from the police and frankly, the show of unity from communities together defeated the challenges."
The total number of arrests made relating to violent disorder following the Southport killings now stands at 483, according to the NPCC, with 149 charges brought.
