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A Muslim was forced off a Tube in north London after a commuter complained he used an iPad "suspiciously", it is claimed.

The man was apparently told to leave the Piccadilly Line train near Finsbury Park last night after he switched off his tablet device when the commuter looked at it.

Witnesses described how the man appeared shocked before getting off the train at Wood Green station, despite other commuters rushing to his defence.

One onlooker, who asked only to be named as Jonny, said several people on board called the abuser racist, but he was unfazed.

The witness, from Wood Green, said he felt "sad and angry" by what he saw, but described the reaction from other commuters as "heart-warming".

Describing the row, he said: "There was a guy stood up, dressed smartly with a man bag.

"He wasn't being overtly aggressive but he had clearly taken offence to something another passenger had done.

"I saw people reacting so I took my headphones off and realised he was asking someone who looked Arabic to get off the train amongst other things because he felt threatened by him.

"Apparently he had turned off his iPad as the smartly dressed man had looked at it, this was deemed to be "suspicious" in his eyes."

He continued: "A couple of women, one sitting down, one standing up immediately interjected; the Arabic man looked pretty shocked and clearly didn't know what to do.

"I think he wanted to fight his corner but, thankfully plenty of people stood in between and stopped anything escalating."

I think he wanted to fight his corner but, thankfully plenty of people stood in between Witness

Jonny got off the train with the man at Wood Green station and said he tried to reassure him that the first commuter's reaction was not justified.

He said: "It made me pretty sad and angry to actually see an incident like that but also the reaction of the people coming together to vastly outnumber a bigot was pretty heart-warming."

Fiyaz Mughal, director of Islamophobia watchdog Tell MAMA, said the incident highlighted the increasing hatred faced by Muslims, particularly on London's transport network.

He said: "Sadly, fears around Muslims in general are heightened and such actions have an impact.

"We simply cannot let basal fears mean that our fellow citizens, British Muslims, who are part and parcel of our country, be consigned to a group of people that we are fearful of."

He added: "This cannot be allowed to happen and plays into the hands of extremists who want to divide us.

"A comment here, asking not to be in a carriage with a Muslim or asking for a Muslim passenger to fly on another plane, are gifts for IS and their desire to tear our communities apart."

A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) enouraged hate crime victims to report their abusers.

“Everyone has the right to travel safely, and nobody should feel threatened on the rail network.

“Anyone who has been a victim of hate crime or has witnessed an incident should contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency always call 999."