When young men from the Muslim and Hindu communities took to the streets on Saturday to protest what they perceived as the mistreatment of members of their brotherhood, tensions erupted in the British city of Leicester.
In the most recent of several incidents that occurred after the Pakistan-India game during the Asia Cup on August 28, police reported that they had made two arrests and that the violence had started as a result of “an unplanned protest.”
Indefinitely, there will be a “strong presence” of police in troubled neighborhoods.
Suleman Nagdi of the Federation of Muslim Organizations in Leicester said: “What we have seen on the streets is quite worrying.
Since the India-Pakistan cricket match, there have been issues in the neighborhood; while such matches frequently prompt gatherings, they have rarely in the past turned this unpleasant. “We need tranquility. The disarray must end, and it must end right away. There are a few really unhappy young men who have been making trouble.
Sanjiv Patel, who represents the Hindu and Jain communities in Leicester, expressed his sadness over the disorder on Saturday night.
“We have coexisted peacefully in the city for many years, but in recent weeks it has become apparent that there are issues that require discussion at the table in order to uncover the sources of people’s discontent.
We constantly say “quiet thoughts, calm heads” to our Muslim brothers and sisters as well as to the Hindu and Jain communities. He cautioned people to be aware of deception on social media.
According to the police, they apprehended two men: one on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit violent disruption” and the other for “possession of a bladed article.”
Leicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said it was crucial that community leaders tried to de-escalate the situation, but he recognized it was difficult to reach out to young people.
Police officers and community leaders were there, and they issued a calm request and suggested that everyone return home. The police reported conducting “a large number of searches” in various neighborhoods.
A spokeswoman added, “Several acts of violence and property damage have been reported to the police and are being investigated.
