Sadiq Khan's Election As First Muslim Mayor Of London Prompts Rallying Against '#LondonHasFallen'

'I'm so proud of Londoners - racist fear-mongering doesn't work here.'
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Londoners have rallied against critics of Sadiq Khan, turning a hashtag inspired by concern about the new mayor being Muslim into messages of hope instead.

Originally, people were tweeting out #LondonHasFallen with messages along this line of sentiment:

But many were confused by what they labelled an attempt at "racist, fear mongering".

A backlash against the original messages began, and people instead used the popular hashtag to promote London's diversity and values of hope and unity.

And it wasn't long before people turned to mocking those who criticised Khan for his race and religion.

Khan's win was announced on Friday night, as it was revealed he successfully fended off competition from candidates including Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith.

Goldsmith was criticised during the election battle for running a "dog-whistle" campaign which drew links between Khan and Islamic extremism.

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