This weekend’s must-see viral photo features two New Yorkers on the Subway: a woman wearing niqab sitting next to a drag queen.

‘Only in America’ some people have said, as if this picture confirms New York’s status as the most diverse city in the world.

But the young journalists in this group disagree: they’re coming to study journalism in London, particularly East London, because of its reputation as the most diverse quarter of the world’s most multicultural city.

Take that, Big Apple!

Sumaya Mohamed: The markets, the festivals and even the education system all seem to support my impression of London as multicultural and diverse.

Mariam Zahad: Having only recently arrived from Cologne in Germany, what strikes me about London is how accepting people are. There is an atmosphere of equality and opportunity, and people are open-minded – even if they’re not from here originally, everyone catches on to the idea that this is how things are in London.

Sarah Nane: When I think of the word ‘London’, what pops into my head are the crowds of commuters , the hustle and bustle of the streets, and the masses of busy shoppers; but most importantly I have discovered a diverse community that holds pride of place in East London.

Jaxon Combe: I disagree with the suggestion that New York is the most diverse city in the world. Over the weekend as I ventured on to London soil, I found myself not just in the capital of the United Kingdom but also at the centre of another hundred countries – or more. Inhaling the polluted air was foreign to my Scottish lungs, but I felt at home as my eyes ran past every culture and ethnicity that make up the world’s dynamic. London is a home for everyone who sees fit – that’s why I hope it will accommodate me in the near future.