Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

False claims about kidnap and attacks on mosque fuelled Leicester disorder: Report

There were claims that three Hindu men approached a Muslim teenage girl on September 13, but a police probe showed it was false.

False claims about kidnap and attacks on mosque fuelled Leicester disorder: Report

Unfounded rumours on social media - about an attempted kidnap of a teenage girl and attacks on a mosque - fuelled trouble in Leicester earlier this month, a media report said.

Tensions flared up between Hindu and Muslim groups leading to disorder on September 17 and further protests the next day.

Youths from Birmingham and Luton - some of them driven by the online campaign titled: “We’re going to land in Lesta [sic]” - also contributed to the chaos in Leicester.

In another example of misinformation spread online, it was falsely claimed that a local youth who was attacked after an India-Pakistan cricket match last month was a Muslim, although he was a Sikh.

Calm, however, has returned to the diverse city amid visible police patrols even as 47 people have been arrested since the confrontations for various offences including threats to kill, possession of a firearm and affray.

While the celebrations of India’s victory over Pakistan last month are widely believed to have triggered the violence, tensions had been brewing between the communities for months, The Times reported citing sources.

According to it, the Leicestershire constabulary is investigating at least three assaults on young Muslim men taken place since May and the egging of a Hindu family’s property while celebrating a religious festival.

The force, which is also probing the allegation of other assaults, intimidation and property damage earlier this month, said, however, that it could not comment on the religious affiliations of the suspects.

There were claims on September 13 that three Hindu men approached a Muslim teenage girl, but a police investigation found that the alleged incident never took place.

Locals claimed Hindu nationalists had entered a mosque on Sunday night to swear at praying men, but elders at the place of worship said it was a fabrication, The Times reported.

There are also videos of a group of Hindu men - some of them shouting the greeting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ - marching along Green Lane Road on September 17. Muslim men then descended on the scene and the visuals show the groups throwing bottles at each other. There are reports that the flag on a Hindu temple was vandalised.

Temporary Chief Constable Rob Nixon of Leicestershire police and Claudia Webbe MP both said falsehood spread online contributed to the unsavoury incidents.

Nixon admitted that social media was “one of the biggest challenges” the police were facing.

He told the BBC that people using social media in "such a proactive and assertive way" had, on one occasion, helped to spread a damaging rumour.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less