A statue of a Sikh soldier was unveiled in the UK’s Leicester city on Sunday to honour Sikhs who fought for Britain in conflicts around the world.
The bronze figure on a granite plinth went on display in Victoria Park on Sunday, the BBC reported. The Sikh Troops War Memorial Committee said it would complement the existing war memorials there. Sikhs made up more than 20% of the British Indian Army at the outbreak of World War I, the report added.
The statue was created by artist Taranjit Singh and was paid for with council funding and donations from Sikh congregations.
“We are so proud to be unveiling this memorial to honour the sacrifice of all those brave men who travelled thousands of miles to fight for a country that wasn’t their own,” Ajmer Singh Basra, president of the committee, told the BBC. He said the statue would serve as a reminder to Sikhs who have made Leicester their home, the report added.
Piara Singh Clair of the Leicester City Council said: “For many decades, the Sikh community has significantly contributed towards the success of our city. I am pleased that a Sikh memorial statue, which was envisaged by the late councillor Culdipp Singh Bhatti MBE, will be unveiled in Victoria Park. It will provide a fitting tribute alongside other memorials in the park.”
The unveiling took place at De Montfort Hall on Sunday and was attended by hundreds of people, including representatives from the armed forces.
(PTI)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.