On conditions of anonymity, a London-based British Hindu activist said that groups of Muslim youth are standing in front of Hindu homes and threatening them to move out of Leicester.
The British Hindus see a pattern in attacks on Hindu people and religious symbols. They allege that Islamist groups in Britain have made a list of temples where they plan to stage protests. After nearly three weeks of violence against Hindus in Leicester and an attack on a temple in Birmingham, Thursday will see a protest in front of the Indian High Commission in London where a pro-Islamist group South Asia Solidarity has given a call to hold a protest in the evening.
The calls for “Leicester: Emergency Protest” have raised fears that it could lead to violence as was witnessed in 2019 after Pakistanis and Khalistanis injured Indians celebrating the Independence Day by throwing projectiles like frozen water bottles, tomatoes and eggs.
Meanwhile, Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly tweeted that he has taken up the Leicester violence with British officials. On Wednesday, he met with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly for discussions on various issues. Jaishankar tweeted: “Shared my concern about the security and welfare of the Indian community in UK. Welcomed his assurances in that regard”.
The violence in Leicester has galvanised Hindu groups across the world to issue messages of solidarity with their brethren in Leicester. In a press release, the Australian Hindu Association expressed fears that the attacks on Hindus in “Leicester & Birmingham by Islamist extremists is the beginning of a planned campaign by vested interest groups. British law enforcement agencies must act decisively now. Otherwise this modus operandi will spread to other parts of Britain & internationally”.
London saw two security-related incidents in the past week despite additional police forces in the UK’s capital city.
With Heads of States visiting London for the Queen’s funeral, the city was in a state of alert yet a man was arrested for stabbing two police officers. The police charged Mohammed Rahman with attempted murder for the stabbing on September 16.