UK police have opened an investigation after a woman wearing a Charlie Hebdo t-shirt was stabbed in a London park.
Videos shared on social media appear to show an individual dressed in black approaching the woman in Hyde Park on Sunday.
The 39-year-old woman is later shown with blood on her face after a “minor slash injury to her head” as police officers assist her. Authorities say her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Following a search of the area, a knife was recovered nearby, and police are appealing for witnesses.
“This was clearly a very distressing incident for the woman involved and officers have spent time with her, whilst she was being treated for her injury, to get an account of what happened,” said Detective Superintendent Alex Bingley, from the Metropolitan Police’s Central West Command Unit.
“We remain in the early stages of our investigation and are working hard to trace the person responsible.”
“I would ask people not to speculate on the motive for the attack until we have established the full facts.”
In January 2015, Islamic extremists attacked the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people, after a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad had been published.
The incident took place in the historic Speakers’ Corner, where people have gathered to speak and debate for more than 150 years.
People have gathered at the spot since the 1860s to exercise their right to free speech, including figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell. In recent years, topics such as Islamic fundamentalism have often featured in the debate.
