Leicester (UK) : After investigations into the recent clashes involving some Muslims and Hindus in the city of Leicester, a UK-based think tank has debunked the narratives that RSS and Hindutva groups played part in the violent clashes, putting the wider Hindu community at risk from hate, vandalism and assault.
The Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a UK-based think tank, recently rejected the false narrative that RSS and other Hindutva groups played a role in the violent clashes, where people from the Hindu community were attacked in Leicester. This comes after a thorough investigation into the incident.
Think tank has said that the unrest in Leicester has been “falsely narrated as involving organised extremist groups and RSS terrorists”, which has put the local Hindu community at risk.
“Localised (LE5 Leicester) community cohesion breakdown, involving prejudice emanating from the Muslim community to the Hindu community and vice versa has led to a number of assaults on both Muslims and Hindus and attacks on Hindu properties in Leicester. The unrest has been falsely narrated as involving organised extremist groups and RSS terrorists,” the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) said in its report on the violence.
According to the report, one of the instigators of the “anti-Hindutva Leicester march is a man expressing praise for a wanted terrorist and who claims to speak with the crime syndicate the D company”.
The social media influencers who peddled narratives of Hindutva extremism include a convicted terrorist offender and a man who has offered prayers to the Taliban, it said.
The report said that the men “accused of being ‘RSS’ terrorists, who had their festival vandalised and claim to be victims of stabbing, consequently organising the Hindu march, appear to have no links to nor an understanding of RSS”.
The methods employed to target the Hindus included projections including a false claim of a BJP organised bus, while car sharing of “anti-Hindutva protestors were in fact taking place”; claims of racists, terrorists, extremists etc; misinformation regarding crimes being committed; attempts to have the uptake of their narrative by the mainstream press and collaborating with political leaders to gain sympathy for their narrative and potentially influence future policy, the report said.
“The successful spread of these claims has led to a security threat posed to the Hindu community and attacks on their places of worship,” it stated.
The report also slammed the media, saying that the media “at times conflated the issue by regularly relying on influencers included in this report for comment and focusing on an issue of Hindutva extremism and India politics rather than providing nuanced and accurate analysis of the incidents”.
It further said, “Mainstream media outlets have relied on two of the noted influencers who have been providing misinformation. In the immediate aftermath of the protests mainstream media outlets put early emphasis on Hindutva extremism in the UK, further perpetuating the threat against the Hindu community”.
The HJS report also raised concern over the fact that one of the instigator of the Leicester violence, Majid Freeman, is regularly being provided a platform to express his views regarding the presence of Hindutva extremism in the UK and posing as a ‘community leader’, meeting with the City of Leicester’s mayor and discussing the future of the upcoming independent review of the violence.
Charlotte Littlewood, a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, made the conclusion after conducting interviews with both Muslim and Hindu residents, compiling social media evidence, video evidence, police reports and statements. Contrary to press reports at the time, Littlewood said the investigations did not find Hindutva groups operating in Leicester but instead discovered a micro-community cohesion issue falsely presented as an issue of organized Hindutva groups. She observed a community cohesion breakdown pertaining to loud festivals, antisocial behavior and a conflict between Muslim youth and Hindu youth stemming from territorial attitudes towards one another
Violent clashes erupted in UK’s Leicestershire after India won the Asia Cup T20 match against Pakistan on August 28. In a similar incident, a mob staged a violent demonstration outside the Durga Bhawan temple in United Kingdom’s Smethwick in Birmingham on September 20 triggering fears of clashes. The report discovered that the clash in Leicester was a micro-community cohesion issue falsely presented as an issue perpetuated by Hindutva groups. It found that false allegations of RSS and Hindutva organizations active in the UK has put the wider Hindu community at risk from hate, vandalism and assault.
Some members of the Hindu community in Leicester imposed a voluntary curfew, some relocated to stay with family or friends until they felt safe to return, while still others were unable to return to work owing to fears for their personal safety, the investigations revealed. There was significant civil unrest from September 4-20 between ethnic minority groups in Leicester, including vandalism of property, assaults, stabbings and attacks on places of worship, said the HJS report.
Some members of the Hindu community in Leicester imposed a voluntary curfew, some relocated to stay with family or friends until they felt safe to return, while still others were unable to return to work owing to fears for their personal safety, the investigations revealed. There was significant civil unrest from September 4-20 between ethnic minority groups in Leicester, including vandalism of property, assaults, stabbings and attacks on places of worship, said the HJS report.
The statement read, “Having spoken to locals, it seems extremist groups are pushing 3 baseless narratives – that diversity in the UK has failed; the disturbances are being orchestrated by forces from India and historic differences mean that we can’t live together peacefully as one community.” The cycle of violence was triggered on Aug 28 after India won the Asia Cup T20 match against Pakistan. A clash broke out among groups of young men in Leicestershire, according to the Leicestershire police statement.
“These are problematic as this will only polarize a once harmonious community, even further. These narratives have caused a local issue to spill over into places such as Birmingham,” read the statement. The Indian High Commission also condemned the violence perpetrated against the Indian community in Leicester and sought immediate action against those involved in the attacks.
“Community leaders from all sides are pleading for an end to this violence so that Leicester and its people may live in peace again,” added the statement. “Now is the time for people regardless of identity, politics and background to come together on this issue,” it added.
