‘Result being used as a sham to express hatred’ says Archbishop of Canterbury

People are using the EU referendum result as a “mere sham for their hatred to be expressed”, said the Archbishop of Canterbury amid fears of a rise in the number of hate-related incidents in wake of the vote.

Justin Welby condemned “hate-filled attacks” and said those involved were using division as an excuse of prejudice.

Since Thursday’s vote, a number of race and hate- related incidents have been investigated by police and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said there had been a sharp increase in reports to an online crime reporting site.