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The EU referendum led to a boom of post- Brexit racist attacks, with people being abused in the streets and physically attacked.

The vote to leave the European Union triggered a 14 per cent rise in hate crimes across the UK - with tensions particularly boiling over in Vote Leave areas, where people were told they should be killed and were beaten for being from Europe.

But tellingly, Scotland - which had a higher Remain vote than any region in the UK - was the only police force area in the UK where the number of hate crimes fell.

A freedom of information request by the Mirror reveals areas with a strong Leave vote in the south-east of England such as Suffolk, Norfolk and Thames Valley saw huge surges in hate crime after June 23.

Biggest hate crime spikes Smallest hate crime spikes

Police logs also reveal some of the shocking crimes linked to Brexit which can be reported for the first time.

Four days after the result in Corby, Northamptonshire, a taxi passenger ranted at a female driver: "Did you see the results of the referendum? What are you still doing here?

"You should be killed. All of you from your country should be killed."

The day after the referendum, a Polish man was attacked after being approached by two men outside a pub in Yeovil, Somerset and asked if he was English.

He was repeatedly kicked and punched as he lay on the floor and suffered a fractured cheekbone and serious damage to his eye.

In Suffolk alone, there were 11 separate police reports of people being told to "go home" or "go back to your own country" just before the vote on June 20 until July 20.

In another incident a a woman of Turkish descent suffered a heart attack in her car in Bury St Edmunds on June 30 after being told 'go back to your country... you do not belong in this country'.

In Middlesbrough, Cleveland, a man told police he had his car tyres slashed three times in a week because of the result of the referendum.

The number of incidents across the UK peaked on Saturday, July 2 - just a week after the controversial vote.

(Image: MEN Media)

Dr Jon Burnett, researcher at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) told Mirror.co.uk many people who previously harboured xenophobic feelings felt 'emboldened' by the referendum campaign and result.

He said: "Of course, many of those who voted to leave the EU were not against immigration or hostile to multiculturalism.

"But as these statistics show, the referendum has emboldened some people with xenophobic feelings, with a consequence of abuse and physical violence.

"What should also be borne in mind though, and IRR research backs this up, is that there have also been some of the greatest acts of solidarity in areas that had a high leave vote."

Hate crimes by date

Suffolk - which had the biggest rise - includes constituencies such as Breckland and Waveney which posted Leave votes of 64.2 per cent and 62.9 per cent respectively.

Gwent had the second largest spike and saw the Blaenau Gwent constituency record a 62 per cent Leave vote.

Norfolk, which saw the third highest hate crime surge, was home to many of the strongest Leave votes - including Great Yarmouth which posted the fourth highest in the UK with 71.5 per cent.

Lincolnshire Police - which covers the three highest Leave vote areas, including Boston with 75.6 per cent - refused to disclose its hate crime figures.

Suffolk Police Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Parkes said: "I want to reassure our communities that hate crime will not be tolerated in any form.

"On a daily basis we scrutinise every single hate crime to understand any issues which may be emerging.

"That close examination revealed a slight increase of two to four additional crimes per week following the EU referendum .

"I have always been concerned that not all hate crime is reported to us, and I would strongly encourage anyone who thinks they may have experienced, been witness to or have any information to call the police.”

Scotland, which unanimously voted to remain in the EU, was the only place to record a significant fall in hate crimes.

Other areas such as Greater Manchester and Merseyside which included several Remain constituencies were among those to have the smallest rises in hate crimes.

(Image: Adam Gerrard/Daily Mirror) (Image: @diamondgeezer)

Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Barry McEwan confirmed the force had not seen any rise in hate crimes over the referendum.

He said: "Police Scotland takes all forms of hate crime extremely seriously.

"At this time we have not witnessed any increase in the level of reports being received. However we acknowledge that often these incidents go unreported."

Overall, 30 of the 43 police forces in the UK responded to our Freedom of Information request.

Percentage rise in hate crimes 14% From May 23 - Jun 22 to Jun 22 - Jul 22

There were a total of 10,044 hate crime incidents across the 30 forces over the two month period.

Because of the format some response were received in the figure includes all hate crime incidents - including homophobia and abuse against people with disabilities - but around 85 per cent of hate crime reports in the UK are racially or religiously motivated.

A Home Office spokesman said: "This Government is committed to building a Britain that works for everyone and we are clear that there is no excuse for hate crime and it has no place whatsoever in our diverse society.

'Go home' threats which left climate of fear

In the weeks after Brexit , scores of people came forward to share their tales of vile racist and xenophobic abuse they had received.

On July 6, a Polish family's home in Plymouth, Devon was set ablaze by arsonists who left a disgusting note urging them to "go back to your f***ing country".

Ewa Banaszka, 22, posted pictures of the damage and hate-filled note on Facebook and said: "This is what has happened to our family last night!! This is so sad and disturbing to go through...

"Especially that we have been in here for 10 years, working, studying and putting all that we can."

(Image: Ewa Banaszka)

She added this week: "The attack will always be at the back of our minds."

On June 27, an Asian man was stabbed in the back in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, after a group of men came into a takeaway and started hurling racist abuse.

The man, who asked not to be named, needed a nine-hour operation to remove the blade which narrowly missed his spine.

A family friend told the Manchester Evening News: The hate needs to stop in this world. We are all human beings, we need to support each other, stop these racist attacks.

“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He could have died. It’s been heartbreaking.”

Bus driver Abdul Rashid, from Middlesbrough, Cleveland was stunned when a passenger told him days after the vote to leave the EU to enjoy his job while it lasted as he would soon be "going home."

Unite member Mr Rashid, 37, a bus driver in North Yorkshire for 13 years, said he said seen an "alarming" rise in racism since the Brexit vote.

He told the Mirror he had also spoken to Polish workers, asked "why are you still here" after the result.

The day after the Leave result was announced, police were called to investigate offensive graffiti at the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK), in Hammersmith, west London.

The words “F*** You OMP” were daubed across the entrance to the building in giant yellow paint

(Image: Twitter)

Cambridgeshire Police were called when cards reading "Leave the EU. No More Polish Vermin" were posted through letterboxes following Britain's decision to leave the EU.

Cardiff Labour councillor Ali Ahmed said he was asked how he voted in the street in the Roath area of the city when he was told to 'get out of our country'.

Mr Ahmed said: "He said 'We voted out, when are you leaving?' (He) also said get out of our country and more.

"This is first time I came across any racial abuse for 41 years of my life in this great country.”

The Met Police were called when 54-year-old Peter Bowman from Hornchurch, Essex, was seen at Romford Armed Forces Day wearing a T-shirt reading 'Yes! We won! Now Send Them Back' in Romford town centre.