Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

'Residents living in fear, feeling too frightened to leave their homes:' Claudia Webbe MP to Home Secretary following Leicester disorder

“Thuggery, political right-wing nationalism from abroad, far right fascism and racism are key features of the disorder.”

'Residents living in fear, feeling too frightened to leave their homes:' Claudia Webbe MP to  Home Secretary following Leicester disorder

Claudia Webbe, MP to Leicester East, has written to the Home Secretary in response to the violence and disorder in Leicester.

She has urged the government to take seriously the politics of division as tensions remain.


In her letter, the MP said that the violence and public disorder that escalated in the Belgrave and North Evington (Green Lane) areas of Leicester East impacted residents and businesses alike.

According to Webbe, the disorder has the potential to spread to other peaceful areas and cities.

“On Saturday 17 September, Leicester East experienced significant civil disturbances and disorder after weeks of rising tensions. The police confirmed that 8 officers were confronted by in excess of 300 people many of whom were covered from head to toe in order to disguise their identity. There were 18 arrests on the day and a further 15 arrests on Sunday 18 September. Significant, amongst those arrested were people whose addresses were from outside Leicester. In the days that followed, police were recalled from London and the Leicestershire force was supplemented with resources from neighbouring areas. With 6,000 hours of video footage to view many more arrests are expected," she wrote in the letter.

Webbe pointed out that thuggery, political right-wing nationalism from abroad, far right fascism and racism are key features of the disorder.

She added that the physical violence, damage to property, burning of religious flags, desecration of religious buildings, including of mosques and temples and racist nationalist chanting are unacceptable and have no place in a civil society.

Webbe said: “In the aftermath, whilst walking through the back streets in the vicinity of where the violence occurred, I witnessed discarded balaclavas and surgical blue gloves, with the police also retrieving weapons. Too many residents have told me they are living in fear, with many feeling too frightened to leave their homes. Businesses have also been affected by the loss of trade. Residents have also spoken of their ideas formed from conspiracy theories being circulated, and they have shown me vile hate material sent to them through social media designed to stoke divisions, fear their neighbours and provoke a reaction based on hate. Inflammatory misinformation, disinformation and fake news shared through digital and online communication are still ongoing. Certain communities are being falsely blamed."

The Parliamentarian said that Leicester East is one of the most poverty stricken areas, both child poverty and in-work poverty.

"There are high levels of inequality and disaffection and there are a lack of high quality local jobs. This impacts, for example, on the opportunities available to disaffected young men," the MP wrote in her letter.

“The organisations to help build resilience have long disappeared with austerity. It is time for the government to issue a statement, and take seriously the politics of division and to stand against those who wish to pit communities against each other, which distract from the real causes of inequality and injustice."

More For You

Victims’ families seek names of doctors who treated Nottingham attacker

Calocane, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after killing three people and attempting to kill three others on 13 June 2023. (Photo credit: Nottingham Police)

Victims’ families seek names of doctors who treated Nottingham attacker

THE FAMILIES of the Nottingham attacks victims have called for the doctors responsible for Valdo Calocane’s treatment to be named and held accountable.

Their demand follows the release of a report on his mental health treatment before the June 2023 attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rahim Al-Hussaini

Prince Rahim is the eldest son of Aga Khan IV and his first wife, Princess Salimah.

Rahim Al-Hussaini succeeds Aga Khan IV as leader of Ismaili Muslims

PRINCE Rahim Al-Hussaini has been appointed as the 50th hereditary Imam, or spiritual leader, of Ismaili Muslims following the unsealing of the will of his late father, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.

The announcement was made by the Aga Khan Development Network on Wednesday.

Keep ReadingShow less
BAPS opens largest Hindu temple and cultural hub of southern hemisphere in Johannesburg

BAPS Hindu temple and cultural complex in Johannesburg

BAPS opens largest Hindu temple and cultural hub of southern hemisphere in Johannesburg

Eastern Eye

THE largest Hindu temple and cultural complex in the southern hemisphere was unveiled in Johannesburg last Sunday (2) with scores of worshippers participating in a ceremony to mark the occasion.

Although fewer than two per cent of South Africans identify as Hindu, it is the most followed religion among the country’s Indian community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Naga Munchetty exposes online scam that used her fake photos on social media

BBC’s Naga Munchetty speaks out against online scams misusing her image to deceive the public

Getty Images

Naga Munchetty exposes online scam that used her fake photos on social media

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has expressed her shock and frustration after discovering that her name and image were being used in online scams. In a personal account published on the BBC website, Munchetty described how fake advertisements featuring manipulated images of her were circulating on social media platforms like Facebook and X. These ads included crude photoshopped pictures of her face on someone else’s body, alongside links to fraudulent websites.

Munchetty said she was “mortified and bemused” by the ads, which were designed to trick people into clicking on fake news articles. These articles falsely claimed she had been detained by the government after revealing a “lucrative loophole” to make money during an interview on ITV’s This Morning. The fake articles used the BBC’s logo and branding to appear legitimate, but they were part of a scam to lure people into investing in a fraudulent cyber trading platform.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi-Kumbh

Modi, dressed in a saffron sweatshirt and black sweatpants with saffron stripes, took dips in the knee-deep water. (Photo: X/@narendramodi)

Modi takes holy dip at Maha Kumbh, days after deadly stampede

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi took a holy dip in the sacred river waters in Prayagraj on Wednesday as he joined millions at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a week after a stampede at the event left dozens dead.

Authorities confirmed 30 deaths in the stampede on January 29, which was the festival's most auspicious day. More than 76 million people gathered at the river for a 'royal dip'. Reuters sources put the death toll at over 50.

Keep ReadingShow less