A Muslim woman had said she was spat at and assaulted by a thug during a business trip to London, sparking an anti-racism protest in the capital.

Nahella Ashraf was attending a conference in Hammersmith and during dinner at a nearby fish and chip shop she was approached by a stranger.

The man is said to have grabbed the 46-year-old government researcher by the arm in an attempt to throw her out of the shop while telling her she 'shouldn't be here.' Police are now investigating the attack.

Nahella Ashraf was attending a conference in Hammersmith and during dinner at a nearby fish and chip shop she was approached by a stranger who attacked her

Ms Ashraf, from Withington, Manchester, told the M.E.N. she was eating dinner when she was accosted by a stranger.

One of her friends attempted to push the attacker out of the way and a staff member confronted the man.

They claim the attacker said: 'People like her, they kill.' As the staff member began escorting the man out, he spat in Ms Ashraf's face.

He left when staff at the takeaway phoned the police.

Ms Ashraf said: 'I was totally shocked, it all seemed to happen soquickly. I have never had this before.

'It really shook me up. The staff were really nice, they said he had issues.

'I'm really surprised this has happened in London, especially in Hammersmith where it's so multicultural. It just goes to show how serious this situation is. I needed to say something.'

Ms Ashraf is a member of anti-racist campaign group Stand Up To Racism and contacted the local London branch to tell them what happened.

The group organised a vigil on Wednesday as a protest against the way she was treated.

She said: 'It was really good, about 40 or 50 people went. I have been campaigning for a while on the issue, but this is the first time I have been a victim of islamophobic abuse myself. It is so shocking, but makes you aware of what people go through.'

Ms Ashraf will also be speaking about the attack at a Stand Up to Racism event in Manchester on Saturday.

The attacker is described as of Arab appearance, in his 30s and about 5ft 9ins, with facial hair and a non-British accent. He was wearing a green hooded jacket.

A Met Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to King Street, Hammersmith, at 9.30pm on Friday, January 6, to reports that a woman had been assaulted by an unknown man.

'The suspect approached the victim, who was aged in her 40s and wearing a hijab, making islamophobic comments. He then assaulted her by spitting at her face.

'Officers attended but the suspect had already fled the scene, in the direction of Hammersmith Tube Station.

'The victim did not require medical treatment. The assault is being treated by police as racially motivated hate crime.'

Anyone who witnessed the attack should contact police on 101 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.