But this week was different, he said. It was the first time his own daughters felt scared. Reflecting on the events of the past 10 days, the London mayor could not help but draw on the long, dark memories people of his generation have of hostile nationalist groups such as the BNP and the National Front.
"What's heartbreaking to me is my children's generation had never experienced what I had," he said. "And they, for the first time, were scared. I thought I'd be the last generation to be scared, simply for who I am. And it breaks my heart.
"I'm somebody who grew up in the 70s and 80s and experienced the National Front and the BNP and I thought that's behind us. Like a lot of people of my generation, I felt triggered by the events of the last couple of weeks in particular.
"It's difficult to explain the ripples when you've been targeted because of your religion or colour of your skin and you can't change either of those things."
The scenes in London on Wednesday night of anti-fascist demonstrators filling the streets were a "source of pride", he said. But he added there was a fear among minority communities that the wider population would read it as an indication that the fight was over. Many are still afraid of leaving home wearing headscarves or going to mosques, he said.
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