Campaigners protesting in Oxford against Boris Johnson’s remarks about women wearing the burqa were allegedly attacked by two men, in the latest in a series of apparently Islamophobic incidents across the country.

Two men shoved and shouted at people calling for Johnson’s resignation at a stall in Oxford town centre last Friday, according to the campaigners. They then tried to kick the stall over, threw books on the floor, tore up newspapers and tried to take a megaphone.

A coalition of anti-racism groups is planning to hold a “We Will Not Be Silenced” rally in the city on Saturday in response to the incident.

Thames Valley police said they had received a report of a public order incident near Cornmarket Street shortly after 5pm last Friday, but had made no arrests. It is understood the pair have not been identified and there is little evidence that they have links to established rightwing groups.

Julie Simmons, who was on the stall at the time, said: “Both the men were physically intimidating, including towering over me and shouting in my face; they clearly wanted to prevent us campaigning against racism.

“Such behaviour has all the hallmarks of fascism, fuelled by racism, a far-right perspective and a will to use violence and intimidation to shut down views they don’t agree with.

“We sometimes have heated debates with people who disagree with us, but this was something else.”

She said the men quoted the Qur’an and repeatedly called the activists “paedophiles”.

Johnson’s remarks have been linked to a spike in Islamophobic incidents. After he compared women who wear face-covering veils to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers” in a Daily Telegraph opinion piece, the Islamophobia monitoring group Tell Mama said there had been a rise in reports of abuse, with at least four women called “letterboxes” in the week after the article was published.

The Oxford attack follows a number of incidents nationwide, which appear to show that far-right activists are becoming increasingly emboldened.

A leftwing bookshop in London was the target of far-right protesters earlier this month, while a union leader was physically attacked in the capital on the day demonstrators rallied in support of the former EDL leader, Tommy Robinson, a convicted criminal who has become a cult figure for the global right.

A report into hate crime nationwide found recorded incidents rose by 57% from 2014-15 to 2016-17.

Ian McKendrick, from Oxford Stand Up To Racism, said: “What we have seen more recently is an increase in the confidence of people with racist views – people are more likely to stop and have an aggressive argument and be abusive. We get the sense that this is a trend developing.”

A local Labour councillor, Tom Hayes, was cautious about drawing conclusions as to the identity of the alleged attackers, but added: “It’s really important that all of Oxford’s diverse community come together to say that far-right activity will not be tolerated.”