Why has violence erupted in Leicester?

“Some of the issues which give rise to the events at the weekend are undoubtedly international,” said the Leicester Mercury, citing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist rhetoric and increasingly harsh treatment of Muslim minorities. At the same time “there are also a number of more local factors to take into account, including the fact that migration is never static”. Leicester, “famed for its multicultural tolerance, still attracts new people from other countries”, the paper added.

Two other factors are the rise in disinformation and the after-effects of Covid, which hit Leicester particularly hard and “has seen cultural communities become more separated and widespread as a result”, said the paper.

What next?

The heavy police presence appears to have worked in suppressing the unrest for now, while community leaders in the city have joined police and politicians in calling for calm.

The mayor said it was important community leaders continued to try to de-escalate the situation but he acknowledged it was a challenge to get through to young people, with Leicester Mercury reporting: “Younger members of both communities tend not to have the same level of affinity with their respective religious leaders as those from older generations.”

Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, joined the call for calm, writing on Twitter it was vital to “strengthen our dialogue to repair community relations”.

Yet these efforts have been further complicated as the story has taken an international dimension, with Indian news channels claiming that Muslims have been attacking Hindus en masse.

India Today reported one eyewitness to the “attack” on a Hindu temple, who warned of further escalation to other cities around the UK.

“At the moment it is happening predominantly in Leicester,” said Dishita Solanki, but “there are other cities that are being targeted, like Nottingham and Birmingham. I have relatives staying in a lot of cities. I have had messages from all of them that there are spots within other cities as well. So, scared is a bit of an understatement.”

It has led the Indian High Commission in London to issue a statement strongly condemning the violence against the Indian community in the city and demanding “immediate action against those involved in the attacks”.

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/crime/957966/why-has-violence-erupted-in-leicester