- Leicester, home to the second-largest Hindu population in Europe, is the heartland of the Hindu community in the UK. Since the 1950s, a significant number of Hindus have immigrated to Leicester from India, East Africa, Southern Africa, Fiji, and others. Leicester is renowned for hosting delightful Hindu festivals, the biggest Diwali celebration outside of India takes place in Leicester.
- After India and Pakistan’s Asia Cup Cricket match on August 28, 2022, Muslim men, who had come to watch the cricket match from several UK towns, deliberately intimidated the local Indian/Hindu community. They made hate speeches and used racial slurs in addition to publicly attacking and damaging private Hindu property.
- The widespread Islamist hate towards Hindus fuelled violence against Hindus in the city for the next few days. These highly motivated and radicalised groups targeted local Hindu homes, damaging over fifty Hindu properties and vehicles during the series of targeted attacks.
- On September 08, 2022, to further incite violence and unrest in Leicester, neighbourhood Islamists and Pakistan-supported Twitter accounts spread false reports that a Muslim girl had been kidnapped by local resident Hindus. The Leicestershire Police refuted the bogus claims in a statement on September 14, 2022, stating that the incident never occurred and the allegations made about it were untrue.
- This misinformation was prominently spread by well-known Leicester neighbourhood Islamist Majid Freeman, who also actively propagated other similar falsehoods ever since the two August incidents. His Twitter account was suspended for 24 hours by Twitter for spreading misinformation and calling for violence; he continues to do so even after the ban. On September 5, Majid Freeman openly threatened the Hindu community and called on Muslims from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and other nations to unite against Hindus.
- Hindu locals from Leicester have reported confrontation with Islamist gangs who spoke in a variety of UK accents and had likely been called or gathered there from other UK locations. These groups combed the streets of Leicester looking for Hindus to abuse or assault. As they brandished knives in the streets in full face of the public, these aggressive groups attacked Hindu women and children and attempted to knife a Hindu man. Although there were several arrests by the Leicestershire police, no major offences have been charged.
- Following a string of incidents in the city where a local Imam openly supported violence against Hindus and attributed the violence to India’s present political context, Leicestershire Police called a meeting of the local religious, cultural, and community leaders. wherein the Imam attempted to shrewdly paint the newly arrived highly educated and professional Hindus as violent and illiterate in order to further legitimise Islamist violence and demonise the Hindu community. The meeting concluded with a joint call for peace.
- The UK media, motivated individuals and organisations falsely characterised the anti-Hindu violence in Leicester as being sparked by racial and provocative chants. However, the planned, systematic, and organised attack on Hindus was never brought up or discussed, and there were no statements made to denounce the terrible anti-Hindu violence. By tweeting provocative statements like, “In Leicester, extremist Hindutva groups go on the rampage in Leicester. Shocking stuff,” journalists like Sunny Hundal incited violence and stoked hostilities towards Hindus in the area
- On September 17, at 3 pm, a meeting to discuss attacks on Hindus was scheduled at Powerleague, Salford Stadium, Birmingham. The meeting quickly gained traction on social media.
Targeting the Hindu community in Leicester, Dutch Raja posted information about the meeting on his Instagram story. Several Islamists shared the information. - On September 17, in response to weeks of deplorable, unprovoked attacks against them, Hindus organised a peaceful protest march in Leicester. The peaceful march praised Hindu deities and delivered encouraging messages of peace. Suddenly, thousands of hardline, radicalised Islamists attacked them, throwing glass bottles and stones at the young men and boys. Video of the march showed peaceful Hindu protestors being harassed and heckled by thousands of Islamists, who had apparently travelled from several cities of the UK.
- As per the UK law, every citizen in the United Kingdom has the right to protest peacefully and police have the duty to care for citizens and ensure their safety. The peaceful protest march by Hindus was planned in haste as a result of an imminent urgency to raise a voice and ensure protection of the Hindu community from this organised terror by radical Islamists gangs in Leicester.
- The march was led by Hindus of Indian descent who chanted inspirational Hindu and Indian slogans and expressed a desire for peace in Leicester. However, they came under attack from tens of thousands of Islamists who hurled rocks and glass bottles at them, leaving numerous people with serious injuries. According to Leicestershire Police, “Officers attempted to engage with the group and remain with them whilst additional officers were called in. They sought to keep actions lawful but, regrettably, the situation led to disorder.”
- The same evening of Sept 17 saw extremist Islamists in Leicester attacking Leicestershire’s Brahma Samaj Shivalaya (Hindu Temple). In front of Leicestershire police, the Hindu religious flag was ripped down and vandalised, displaying blatant contempt for the laws and the UK’s commitment to religious freedom. These violent Islamists also attempted to hold Hindus captive inside the Shivalaya, including women and children. Additionally, vandals damaged and damaged vehicles and other Hindu-owned property.
- For the past 20 days, organised Islamist entities and people have been viciously and frequently attacking the city’s Hindu population in an effort to undermine and demoralise Hindus in the UK and instil a profound sense of religious divide. Numerous Leicester residents who have lived together peacefully for years have been terrorised by these assaults by these Islamist gangs.
- The extreme Islamist factions in the UK are waging a violent, planned, and systematic terror campaign against the peaceful Hindu community, and the Leicestershire Police have been repeatedly urged to protect them. The incidents in Leicester should not be viewed in isolation; rather, a thorough national investigation should be launched. The police haven’t, however, taken any significant action in this regard as the matter is still under investigation.
- On September 18, 2022, more than sixteen members of the Leicestershire Police and one police dog suffered severe injuries during a policing operation to disarm Islamist extremists who were attacking the Hindu community. Adam Commons, Chairman of the Leicestershire Police Federation, said in a statement: “My colleagues do not come to work to be subjected to this type of behaviour and should not be going home nursing cuts and bruises..”
- Radical Islamists are assaulting Hindus while rampaging through the streets and causing damage to Hindu temples, homes, and vehicles. The peaceful Hindu community is standing strong against radicals and extremists and were seen praying for the well-being of all, without any distinction. “Sarve Bhavantu sukhinah”- (May all be happy just), moments after the attacks on September 19, 2022.
- During the post attacking the Hindu Temple, Islamists used social media to spread false news that Hindus attacked a mosque and raised slogans like “Death to Muslims”. No mosque has, however, been targeted, according to Leicestershire Police.
- Pakistani-backed Khalistani and pro-Islamist outfit Sikh Federation (UK) blatantly blamed the Leicester violence on BJP and RSS. They said that these people are targeting minorities disrupting communal harmony. Meanwhile, there is no police statement admitting that any Hindu was involved in violence.
- On the evening of September 18, 2022, when Islamists viciously attacked the innocent Hindus, 18 individuals were arrested in connection with a variety of offences, including affray, common assault, possession of an offensive weapon, and violent disturbance.
- According to the Leicestershire police, a portion of the assailants were not natives of Leicester. Three (3) of the eighteen (18) people arrested on September 18, were from Hounslow, Luton, or Solihull, and three (3) were from Birmingham.
- As of September 19, 2022, forty seven (47) people have been arrested in relation to the violence against Hindus in Leicester
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