England: Government To Use Full Force Of Law Against 'Thuggery' In Leicester, Says Home Secretary Suella Braverman

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Thursday met police officials and community leaders in Leicester and assured that the government would use the full force of law to end the "thuggery" in the city.

Braverman visited England's Leicester as the city grapples with tensions and violence between its Hindu and Muslim commumities, which is rooted in the clashes following an India-Pakistan cricket match last month. 

Both Hindus and Muslims have alleged they have been harassed. It's alleged that Hindu temples have been attacked and demeaning speeches have been given against Hindus. The Muslim community has alleged that armed Hindu groups have taken out marches through Muslim-populated areas while shouting religious slogans. Videos of both the alleged march by  armed Hindus and the alleged attack on a Hindu temple have surfaced on social media. 

The Leicester police have repeatedly called for peace and have arrested 47 persons for "serious disorder" in recent days. 

Sharing photos of her meetings with officials and Leicester's Hindu and Muslim leaders on Twitter, Braverman said, "Today I met with Leicester officers, [Temporary] Chief Constable of Leicester, and local community leaders to discuss action being taken to protect local residents and restore safety and harmony in Leicester. 

"We'll work together on this, and I will do everything I can to support communities and our police. Those who bring disorder and thuggery to our streets will face the full force of the law and I thank all those brave police officers for keeping us safe.

With reference to reports of a protest by masked men outside a temple in Birmingham earlier this week, Braverman said she had also spoken to the local West Midlands Police chief and that the situation there continues to be monitored.

"I also spoke to Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, today. I continue to monitor the situation and thank the police for their expert handling," said Braverman in a tweet.

Videos of the incident have appeared on the social media in which masked men —said to be Muslims— are seen outside the temple and one of them is seen damaging a religious flag.

Braverman's intervention follows several appeals from within the local community and parliamentarians to take action against extremist elements behind the clashes.

"These targeted attacks were by Islamist extremists and have understandably generated a vast amount of fear, harm and disruption to the wider Hindu community across the UK," said Bob Blackman, Conservative Party MP Chair of the All Paty Parliamentary Group (APPG) of British Hindus, in his letter to Braverman.

Earlier, the Indian High Commission in London had strongly condemned the "violence perpetrated against the Indian community in Leicester and vandalisation of premises and symbols of Hindu religion".

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar also raised similar concerns during a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

Observers have highlighted that the tensions in Leicester are a fallout of Hindu-Muslim tensions in India and South Asia. 

"Rising Hindu nationalism in India (fuelled by BJP government) has led to attacks on Muslims, Christians and Sikhs there, fuelling tensions in UK too...The vast, vast majority of British Hindus and Muslims are peaceful and don't want trouble. These are gangs looking for attention, a story as old as society...Both Hindus and Muslim groups are trying to exploit these tensions for support," said journalist Sunny Hundal on Twitter.

Hundal further noted that Hindus are distressed by the lesser international attention that alleged attacks on Hindus get. 

"If Muslim religious flags/symbols had been desecrated openly by Hindus then I think we would have seen an international social media uproar too. This has angered Hindus and needs to be addressed," said Hundal in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby has indicated plans for an independent review into the circumstances behind the tensions and violence.

"My intention is to have a review of what led up to the events at the weekend, and also to seek some independent thoughts on how we all –council, police and communities– can learn from this, and what we can do at a local level to ensure it doesn't happen again," Soulsby told the BBC.

It comes as the Leicestershire Police continues to issue appeals for calm and also reassure the community amid preparations for Hindu festivals coming up.

"We are encouraging people to prepare for Navratri and Diwali as normal. A visible and strengthened police presence will be there for all communities," said the police force.

(With PTI inputs)