Violence erupted in Leicester between Hindus and Muslims during the weekend over the India-Pakistan match that was held on 28th August. The protesters have vandalized a temple, smashed glass bottles, and initiated an impromptu march.
Here’s What Had Happened
The British media channels have stated that unrest and violence have erupted in the city of Leicester and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) named it a “large-scale disaster”.
Leicester police officials took to Twitter to report the incident. They wrote, “Parts of East Leicester experienced serious disorder yesterday evening (Saturday, 17 September) into this morning (Sunday) when large crowds formed after groups of young men began an unplanned protest.”
They arrested two men, one of them was arrested because the officials suspected him of committing violent disorder and the other one on the suspicion of possessing a bladed article.
But Why?
Tensions were on the rise after the India-Pakistan match that took place on 28th August as a part of the Asia Cup T20. India won the match and citizens in Leicester came to the streets to celebrate the victory, however, unfortunately, that soon transformed into violence.
To celebrate the victory, a man wearing the Indian team jersey walked on the streets shouting “Pakistan Murdabad”. Soon people tore his t-shirt and others were seen punching him in a video that went viral on social media platforms.
Since that day, the tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the city have been on a sharp rise. A video was posted by a user on Twitter which shows that a temple was vandalized while cars and other properties owned by the Hindu community were also destroyed.
The police officials stated, “Several incidents of violence and damage have been reported to the police and are being investigated. We are aware of a video circulating showing a man pulling down a flag outside a religious building on Melton Road, Leicester. This appears to have taken place while police officers were dealing with public disorder in the area. The incident will be investigated.”
Also Read: Disgust In Hindus And Shame In Muslims Can Be The Reason Why Both Communities Take To Communal Violence
Latest Developments
After the impromptu violence erupted in Leicester after the temple vandalization, police officials arrested 15 people and have kept them in custody. No further violence erupted after that; the police stated.
The elected mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby said, “I and community leaders were “baffled” by the events, and had been fanned by some very distorted social media and a lot of people who came in from outside”.
Half of the people who were arrested were outsiders and it has elevated the concerns of authorities. Eight of all the arrested individuals didn’t belong to Leicester. Five were from Birmingham, and one each from Solihull, Luton, and Hounslow.
It is the first time, according to Sir Peter, that people have come from different cities to take part in protests.
The officials have urged the people to stay calm stating that they wouldn’t tolerate violence in their city.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Firstpost, BBC, The Guardian
Find the blogger: Palak Dogra
This post is tagged under: Leicester, violence, Hindus-Muslims, Hindu-Muslim violence, India-Pak match, cricket match, communal violence
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
Other Recommendations:
Online Posts That Show How Hindu-Muslim Hatred Lost In The 2020 Delhi Elections
