Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Mayor of the West Midlands: 'Mandir attack is not acceptable here'

BY ANDY STREET, Mayor of the West Midlands 

WHEN I went to the Shree Ram Mandir in Walsall, West Midlands, on Saturday (6), I was met with a slightly different reception than I am used to. The Hindu community in the West Midlands are extremely welcoming, happy and engaging. The Mandir itself is a rock of the local community, opening its doors more than 50 years go and acting as a home and hub for generations of Hindus in Walsall.


I am always being told about the Bhagavad Gita classes in the Mandir, the numerous and important festivals which regularly bring the community together, Gujarati classes and of course the Mandir’s worry that enough young Hindus aren’t engaging with the Mandir’s programmes and in positions of responsibility. These are all normal conversations to have and are shared across the West Midlands.

When I visited this time, however, there was a different scenario where the statues at the front of the Mandir had been smashed in the middle of the night by an individual with what seems to be a baseball bat. The CCTV footage is grainy but clear: this was an intentional and planned attack on a Hindu place of worship in the West Midlands.

I shouldn’t comment on the incident too much as it is a live police investigation, but the figures that made up the front of the Mandir had been damaged, quite intentionally. This time when I visited the Mandir I was met with fear and a sense of disbelief that the Mandir had been attacked in this way.

To me, this was an attack on the multicultural and tolerant society I love to call home and represent as the Mayor. To me this was an attack on our values of tolerance, acceptance and understanding.

The Mandir is rightly trying to figure out why this happened and also trying to reassure the devotees that they are safe to attend the Mandir as normal. That to stay at home would be like letting the intolerant attacker win.

There should be the same response to this as other acts of intolerance. I know other religious places have been similarly attacked to national outcry. In the West Midlands our diversity of faith is so important and it needs collective action which is equal for every faith.

To me, the Hindu community have been stalwarts of the West Midlands, a peaceful group who are so spiritual, hardworking and duty-oriented. I understand how the community is feeling let down. I will support the Mandir in their application to the Home Office for security funding and I will work with the Council to see what they can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again, in any place of worship.

There is a solidarity meeting on Thursday evening (11) at the Mandir and I have been encouraging people to attend, to come together and send a message to the intolerant attacker –

you cannot win here, nor anywhere else in the West Midlands.

Andy Street is the elected Mayor of the West Midlands

More For You

‘Debate over assisted dying raises risks for medical staff’
Supporters of the ‘Not Dead Yet’ campaign outside parliament last Friday (29) in London

‘Debate over assisted dying raises risks for medical staff’

AFTER five hours of debate over assisted dying, a historic private members’ bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons. This is a stunning change in the way we as a nation consider ending our lives.

We know from survey research that the religious tend to be against assisted dying. Given Asians in the UK tend to be more religious, comparatively, it is likely that Asians in general are less supportive of this new proposed legislation, compared to the general public.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘It’s time for UK-India ties to focus on a joint growth story’
Kanishka Narayan (centre) with fellow visiting British MPs, Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma (left) and other officials

‘It’s time for UK-India ties to focus on a joint growth story’

FOUR months since my election to parliament, I had the opportunity to join my parliamentary colleagues on a delegation to India, visiting Delhi and Jaipur for conversations with our Indian counterparts, business leaders and academics.

I went to make the case for Indian investment in my constituency and across the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Ministers must unveil vision for bridging societal divides’
(From left) Professor Ted Cantle, Sunder Katwala, Sara Khan and John Denham at the event

‘Ministers must unveil vision for bridging societal divides’

“SOCIAL cohesion is not the absence of riots.”

John Denham put that central point pithily at the ‘After the Riots’ cohesion summit last week.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Policy reforms should not halt development’
Environmental policies and grid delays are slowing the delivery of new homes

‘Policy reforms should not halt development’

SINCE 2006, Summix has specialised in securing planning for strategic land and urban, mixed-use regeneration projects.

Working with our development partners, we have successfully delivered more than 6,000 homes in the UK. We continue to bring forward strategic residential development sites with over 18,000 homes in our current pipeline, including a new settlement for 10,000 homes at Worcestershire Parkway, which was recently referenced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her inaugural speech.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Ethnic disparities in IVF success rate highlight access challenges’
According to a recent report, IVF birth rate for Asian patients is 24 per cent, lagging behind 32 per cent for white patients

‘Ethnic disparities in IVF success rate highlight access challenges’

WITH nearly 30 years as an NHS consultant and as a British Asian woman, I am acutely aware of the unique challenges ethnic minority patients face in healthcare, especially on their journey towards parenthood.

This week, National Fertility Awareness Week shines a critical light on the psychological impact of infertility in minority ethnic communities. It is time to confront the barriers and stigmas contributing to inequalities in IVF access and outcomes for BAME patients, and the ways these amplify the mental challenges in what is often already a highly emotional and personal journey.

Keep ReadingShow less