Ongoing clashes between Muslims and Hindus threaten to “spread all over Britain”, faith leaders have warned, after 100 protesters descended on a Hindu temple.
A crowd of Muslim demonstrators reportedly threw fireworks and missiles in the direction of police in the industrial town of Smethwick on Tuesday night as the disorder seen in Leicester over the weekend appeared to spread across the Midlands.
On Wednesday night, faith leaders issued a warning that the current unrest, apparently fuelled by disinformation circulating on social media, “will spread all over Britain”.
Police made 47 arrests in Leicester this weekend for offences including making threats to kill, possession of a firearm and affray. Some linked the sectarian violence to a “country-based dispute” after India beat Pakistan in a cricket match in Dubai on August 28, while others have said false claims made on social media triggered the clashes.
The widespread disorder, involving mainly young men from sections of the Muslim and Hindu communities, erupted in Smethwick when a crowd of people gathered outside Durga Bhawan Temple.
Video footage showed the masked and hooded men shouting “Allahu akbar”, with dozens of officers deployed to the area in riot gear in response. No injuries were reported and an 18-year-old has since been arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife.
On Wednesday afternoon, there continued to be a large police presence outside the mosque in anticipation of further trouble, with six police vans and two patrol cars placed at strategic points around its perimeter.
This story was originally published in telegraph.co.uk . Read the full story here