Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

15 arrested over East Leicester violence as police appeal for calm; High Commission of India 'takes up matter with UK authorities'

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the disturbances were fanned by distorted social media and fuelled people who came in from outside

15 arrested over East Leicester violence as police appeal for calm; High Commission of India 'takes up matter with UK authorities'

Fifteen people have been arrested in East Leicester in response to public disorder “fanned by distorted social media” over the weekend.

Policing operations continued on Monday although there were no further reports of disorder.

The arrests came after Sunday’s protest which followed large-scale disorder the previous day amid tensions involving mainly young men from Muslim and Hindu communities.

“Officers became aware of groups of young men gathering on Sunday afternoon in the North Evington area” of Leicester city, local police said in a statement.

They spoke to the crowd and put in place a temporary police cordon, to minimise harm and disturbance to communities.

The force said several incidents of violence and damage reported to the police were being investigated. The force said it was aware of a video on social media showing a man pulling down a flag outside a religious building on Melton Road in Leicester.

“This appears to have taken place while police officers were dealing with public disorder in the area”, the force said as it called for dialogue and calm with support from local community leaders.

Dispersal orders had been imposed earlier this month after a few days of unrest believed to involve local Hindu and Muslim groups following an India-Pakistan cricket match in Dubai on August 28.


Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the disturbances were “fanned by some very distorted social media" and fuelled “by a lot of people who came in from outside as well as some young local lads.”

"I also know there was also a concerted attempt on Saturday to bring people from as far as Birmingham, to ship them across to have a bit of a 'set-to' in Leicester”, Sir Soulsby told the BBC.

Sanjiv Patel, who represents Hindu and Jain temples in Leicester, said communities who lived in harmony in the city over the years should come to the table and discuss what people were unhappy about.

"Across the Hindu and Jain community and with our Muslim brothers and sisters and leaders we are consistently saying 'calm minds, calm heads'," he told the BBC as he denounced violence.

Suleman Nagdi of Leicester’s Federation of Muslim Organisations felt “some very dissatisfied young men who have been causing havoc.”

"There have been problems in the community since the India and Pakistan cricket match and while that game often sparks gatherings, they have not in the past turned this ugly, '' he said and called for an end violence.

More For You

Who is Saifullah Kasuri, the  mastermind behind Pahalgam attack?

Saifullah Kasuri

Who is Saifullah Kasuri, the  mastermind behind Pahalgam attack?

THE tourist town of Pahalgam in India's Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of the worst terror attacks in the region on Tuesday (22) since the abrogation of Article 370. A group of heavily armed terrorists opened fire on unsuspecting tourists at Baisaran meadow, killing 28 people and injuring many more.

The attack sent shockwaves across the country and drew condemnation from leaders both in India and abroad. Within hours, a group known as The Resistance Front (TRF), widely believed to be a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

The damage to plaques at Carpenders Park Cemetery has sparked outrage in the Muslim community

Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

Grant Williams

HERTFORDSHIRE Police have said they are “confident” the desecration of Muslim graves at a cemetery in north London “was a religiously motivated act”.

The leader of the council that owns the cemetery visited the site last week to speak to grieving families following the horrific incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Hinduphobia’ report tabled in Scottish parliament

The Hinduphobia in Scotland report was authored by Dhruva Kumar, Neil Lal, Sukhi Bains, Anuranjan Jha and Ajit Trivedi

‘Hinduphobia’ report tabled in Scottish parliament

A MEMBER of the Scottish parliament has put forward a motion in the House commending the work of a Glasgow-based Gandhian society that drafted a report highlighting the “rising levels of prejudice, discrimination and marginalisation” of Hindus in Scotland.

Ash Regan, an Alba Party member of the Scottish parliament (MSP) representing Edinburgh Eastern, tabled the motion based on the report by the charity Gandhian Peace Society earlier this month.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mahmood orders bail rules review over minority bias claims

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood leaves after attending a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Mahmood orders bail rules review over minority bias claims

JUSTICE SECRETARY Shabana Mahmood has promised a full review of court bail guidance following criticism that it gives special treatment to ethnic minorities, reported The Telegraph.

Speaking in Parliament, Mahmood said she would “ensure that equality before the law is never a principle that is compromised”. Her comments came after Conservative MP Robert Jenrick raised concerns over new bail guidelines introduced in January.

Keep ReadingShow less