When Hamas terrorists attacked Israel last week, it was clear to me that there would be serious ramifications for several communities in the UK. In anticipation I wrote to the Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP, our Home Secretary, to alert her to the potential of some serious breaches of the peace, and threat to life and limb. Below is the extract of that letter:
Dear Suella,
In light of recent developments both in Canada and Israel, I take this opportunity to write to you to voice my grave concern for the safety and security of the Hindu and Indic communities in the UK.
We are grateful to PM Sunak who has explicitly made it clear that we as a nation stand with Israel. The Indian diaspora share the very same sentiments. Couple this with a similar statement from PM Modi who has also come out very forcefully in favour of Israel. The consequences of these statements have the potential of affecting the Hindu and Indic communities directly by making them easy targets.
We have seen in the recent past that Islamists and Khalistanis have focussed their attacks on our community. For example, the Islamist attacks on Hindus in Leicester and Birmingham. We have also seen Islamists and Khalistanis who have marched on the High Commission of India which has often resulted in violence and the venting of hate speeches.
There is now a real fear within the community that agents of these two factions in the UK may well target not just the Jewish community, but also the Hindu and Indic communities. May I request that your office takes pre-emptive action and puts in place arrangements to protect our community.
In particular:
a. Alert all police forces of their duty under the law to ensure the security and safety of all citizens. In particular Hindus and Indic communities who may well come under increased harassment, bullying and violent attacks.
b. To take pre-emptive action to ensure that no protesters are allowed anywhere near any place of worship. Mandirs must be protected and the mistakes in policing in Leicester and Birmingham should not be repeated.
c. Organise an emergency fund to equipment every Hindu and Indic place of worship and community centre with the latest CCTV technology that operates 24//7/365.
d. Alert every educational institution in the country of the heightened threat posed to Hindu and Indic students.
e. Ensure every local authority is reminded of their duty of care towards all citizens.
f. Remind all media, including social media, of their duty of care towards the safety and security of all their users, in particular Hindu and Indic communities.
The above gives a flavour of what the minimum action points should be. I am sure your department will be able to deliver an even more comprehensive list.
I am of the belief that the situation internationally is inclined to get worse before it gets better. And this may well take much longer than anticipated. We have already seen supporters of Khalistan and Palestine come out on our streets to voice their hatred. Some even rejoice in the injury or fatality to those they consider to be their enemies.
I hope you take proactive action immediately. Let there not be a Hindu fatality before something positive is done to protect the community and put behind bars those wish to break our laws.
Thisweek we have entered the period of Hindu festivals beginning with Navaratri, which will be followed quickly by Diwali. This is the time when there are much larger congregation of peoplewho comes together to rejoicetheir faith and their cultural heritage. In the past we have seen attacks from vested people. This year, we have the added threat of Islamists who may well vent their frustrations not only on the Jewish community, but also the Hindu and Indic communities. We are seen to be supportive of our Jewish friends, and that makes us easy targets.
So to every Hindu and Indic Mandir and community place, and their leadership, please be warned of this threat level. Ensure that all your standard operating procedures considerthe increased threat levels. Make sure if you have CCTV, that it is operational 24/7 and recording is set for continuous. Make sure you have all emergency numbers readily available, and your local Police are fully aware of the programme of events over the next few months. Record every incident that occurs, either to the venue, or to the people attending – no matter how small it might be. Accurate record keeping allows the Police a better chance to arrest the miscreants.
In short, don’t let your guard down. Put the hard work in now so that everyone may enjoy the full extent of our beautiful festivals.
Here’s wishing all of you,a Subh Navaratri.
