By: Ranjini K
September 20 2022
Leicestershire Police have denied any reports of the mosque being attacked and mentioned it as a rumor.
Context:
Leicester City in the United Kingdom has recently witnessed clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The violence erupted following the Asia Cup 2022 match between India and its neighbor Pakistan which was held in Dubai on August 28, 2022, BBC reported. After the clashes, a post started circulating on social media showing a crowd cheering "Jai Sri Ram" (hail lord Ram) on the streets of Leicester. Twitter user Dr. Kamran Kalam shared the post, whose caption read, "Hindu terrorists attacked a mosque in the U.K. Four cars of Muslims were demaged (damaged), and what about police, it always comes late." However, the claim has been turned down by the Leicester Police.
In fact:
On September 18, 2022, the Leicestershire Police tweeted, "We've seen reports on social media that a mosque is being attacked. Officers on the ground have confirmed this is not true. Please only share information on social media you know to be true."
According to Hindustan Times, on September 17, 2022, a large-scale disorder broke out in Leicester city in the U.K., where protest marches were held, and videos showed the police attempting to hold back two sets of crowds throwing glass bottles. The protesters held sticks and batons as the community leaders and police called for calm. Metropolitan Police force said that "two London police officers were stabbed in the city's busy West End and were hospitalized," HT report added.
A BBC News report quoted the Leicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said, "I don't think anyone saw the confrontation (on Saturday) as a likely outcome, and police had been given reassurance that things were calming down a lot."
The verdict:
Though there have been reports of violence in Leicester city, there is no evidence that a Hindu mob attacked the mosque. The police officers on the ground have confirmed it is not valid.