A 20-year-old was sentenced to 10 months in jail in connection with the anti-Hindu violence in East Leicester in England’s East Midlands region on Monday, thereby making it the first conviction in the case.
The development was confirmed by the local police in a statement on Monday (September 19). The accused was identified as one Amos Noronha, who is a resident of Illingworth Road in Leicester.
He was produced before the City Magistrate’s Court on Monday where Amos pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.
A further update on our response to the disorder in areas of East Leicester.
— Leicestershire Police (@leicspolice) September 19, 2022
A total of 47 arrests have been made so far.
If you have heard anything or have any more information you can submit this via our report link at https://t.co/i1pIZT74rW pic.twitter.com/RMIeKIzRrZ
As of September 19, 2022, the East Leicester police have arrested 47 people in connection with the anti-Hindu violence in the city. “An additional 18 people were arrested on Sunday night for a number of offences including affray, common assault, possession of an offensive weapon and violent disorder,” it informed.
The police added that some of the accused are not from Leicester and belong to other cities, including Birmingham (which boasts of a 13,78,000 Muslim population).
“In total, 47 people have been arrested for offences in relation to the unrest in the east of the city. Some of those arrested were from out of the city, including some people from Birmingham,” it added.
Horror at Leicester: Targeted attacks on Hindus and Misinformation campaigns
Leicester City in England’s East Midlands region has witnessed a sharp increase in targeted attacks against the Hindu community. The orgy of violence by Islamists began soon after India clinched victory against Pakistan in the group stage match of the Asia Cup on August 28.
According to a Hindu organisation (@INSIGHTUK2), a casual banter between Indian fans and Pakistani supporters turned serious when the latter snatched and disrespected the Indian Tricolour. Soon after, the police took cognisance of the matter but added to the raging misinformation by Islamists that religious slurs were hurled in Hindi.
India and Pakistan again met at the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup. After Pakistan succeeded in settling scores on the field, its supporters attacked a Hindu home celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi.
The accused men also received overwhelming support from their co-religionists on social media. Homes, cars, and properties belonging to the Hindu community, which were easily identifiable with sacred symbols, were damaged. In order to control the situation, Chief Superintendent Adam Slonecki granted dispersal and stop search powers to the police.
Recently, a Hindu temple came under attack by Islamists in Leicester. In a viral video, one extremist was seen uprooting a saffron flag affixed to the temple structure. On September 16, the police informed that a total of 27 people were arrested in connection with the violence.
Meanwhile, the Islamists resorted to making outlandish claims to deviate public discourse from the targeted attacks on Hindus. While speaking to Opindia, research scholar Sarah L Gates said, “This was a planned clean out aka religious cleansing. They want to purge Hindus.”
Hindus in Leicester are now at the mercy of the police for their safety. With motivated news publications and Islamist groups portraying them as the perpetrators, they are left to fend for themselves.
