Dozens Arrested in Leicester Following Hindu-Muslim Clashes

TEHRAN (IQNA) – UK Police announced on Monday that at least 47 individuals had been arrested in connection with tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in the British city of Leicester over the past week.

Tension had gripped Leicester on Saturday after young men from Muslim and Hindu communities took to the streets to express their indignation over, what both groups alleged, manhandling of the members of their fraternity.

Initially, police said they had arrested two individuals after violence flared up following “an unplanned protest” — the latest in a series of incidents post the Pakistan-India match during the Asia Cup on August 28.

“In total, 47 people have been arrested for offences in relation to the unrest in the east of the city,” police said, adding that some of the arrested individuals were from outside Leicester, including some people from Birmingham.

Meanwhile, police said, a 20-year-old man was sentenced to 10 months in prison following his arrest in connection with the episode.

‘Toxic brand of extremism imported from India’

For its part, the Muslim Council of Britain has condemned what it terms the “targeting of Muslim communities in Leicester by far-right Hindutva groups”.

In a statement on Monday, the body highlighted that during the past few days, “there has been a heightening of tensions among the diverse communities of Leicester, as concerns grow about the rise of violent right-wing Hindutva extremism taking root locally”.

“On Saturday, September 17, groups of balaclava-clad men led a march, chanting slogans rooted in Hindutva nationalist supremacism, along Green Lane Road — a predominantly Muslim and Sikh populated area,” the statement said, adding that the was followed by a “series of provocations”.

It described the instances of such “provocations” as “chanting outside mosques, targeted mob attacks on Muslims, and vandalism to homes and businesses over recent months”.

Groups of young people from both communities had subsequently come out on the streets to protest, resulting in physical altercations and running battles, the statement added.

“Whilst faith leaders have shared statements of solidarity and appealed for calm, there is criticism locally of the perceived inaction of law enforcement officers, who failed to disperse the mobs, despite long-standing concerns being raised,” it said.

“Tensions still remain among local groups, and demonstrations continue. There is now a concern of this toxic brand of extremism, imported from India, spreading to other cities,” the statement read.

Source: dawn.com