After Islamists called for a large-scale protest outside the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir in Wembley in London on Sunday, the police have increased security around Hindu temples in the area, including the target temple. Barry Gardiner, MP for North Brent, also directed police to beef up security at the temple after messages calling for a protest outside the temple were circulated on social media. Gardiner also advised Hindus not to congregate outside the temple to ‘defend’ it and warned Islamists of legal action.
The Police have started patrolling Hindu temples in the Borough of Brent amid threats of protests by Islamists. “Police are patrolling religious premises across the borough, currently visiting the Shri Vallabh Nidhi Mandir Temple in Wembley,” Brent police tweeted on Saturday. It is notable that the Santan Hindu Mandir is run by Shri Vallabh Nidhi and therefore some people call it Shri Vallabh Nidhi Mandir Temple.
On Sunday, Brent police tweeted, “We continue our patrols of religious establishments across the diverse borough of Brent. Visiting Shree Swaminarayan Temple Kingsbury.”
Following the Leicester violence, Islamists have called for a mass protest in front of the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir in London on Sunday (September 25), falsly accusing it of sending ‘busloads of RSS supporters’ to Leicester. The said Hindu temple is located on Ealing Road in Wembley, northwest London.
The development came just days after Islamists propagated rumours that the Hindu temple was harbouring and ferrying Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) workers to Leicester via a travel agency in order to allegedly incite communal strife. Islamists had called the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir a ‘hornet’s nest of Nazi Hindutva’ and called for gathering outside its premises on Sunday for a demonstration.
On Sunday, after Islamists called for a large-scale protest outside the Shree Sanatan Hindu Mandir in Wembley, the temple’s Chairman released an appeal for peace. Two Muslim men were also standing next to him, and one of them said that they agree with the appeal made by the Temple committee chairman.
“We are a peaceful community that has always lived in harmony with its multifaith surroundings.” (We have done so) without incident for many decades and plan to continue doing so in the future,” the temple Chairman was heard saying.
“We strongly advise everyone to do so.” We believe that these protests (outside the temple premises) should not take place for the sake of peace and harmony of all the communities,” he stressed.
Naomi Canton, a London-based journalist pointed out that a protest is planned outside the Hindu temple and Hindus are being asked to leave it to the police to handle. “There is a protest planned outside a Hindu temple in Wembley on Sunday. Hindus are being urged not to go to the temple to defend it and to leave the police to manage the situation,” Canton tweeted.
The outbreak of Islamist violence began shortly after India defeated Pakistan in the Asia Cup group-stage match on August 28. Leicester City, in England’s East Midlands, has seen a rise in targeted attacks on the Hindu minority.