IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2022
The Hindu community has been a target of organised violence in Leicester over the past 20 days. It has suffered at the hands of extremist Muslims who have sought to cause deliberate harm, disruption and fear amongst Leicester’s thousands of citizens. On the evening of 17 September, a peaceful protest march by Hindu youths was attacked by radical Islamists with stones and glass bottles. It is obvious from the video footage that this attack was carefully planned to terrorise the Hindu community. Included within the attacks are the Diu-Daman Hindus, a small and marginalised group who are based in the Belgrave and Latimer areas and face various socioeconomic challenges.
Numerous fabricated and distorted videos that falsely accuse Hindus of creating this situation have been shared online and are still available. We support the police’s calls to end misinformation, such as the fabrication that a mosque was attacked, and urge them to continue to take action against this to prevent further incitement by extreme elements in the Muslim community.
Every citizen in the UK has the right to protest peacefully, just as the role of the police is to maintain peace and prevent harm. Although we recognise police are under-resourced, recent events also call into question the police’s preparedness. We call on the police to ensure that Hindus receive the due protection they deserve.
ENDS
For more details, please contact info@insightuk.org
