London:
Two people were arrested in East Leicester on Sunday after a clash broke out when groups of young men started an unscheduled protest, Leicestershire police said in a statement.
According to the Leicestershire Police statement on Twitter: “Two arrests have been made – a man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and a man on suspicion of possession of a knife article. They remain in police custody.”
This comes after several videos and reports have circulated on social media about Pakistani organized gangs vandalizing and terrorizing Hindus in Britain’s Leicester City. The incident follows a wave of violence and disorder in the eastern part of the city.
The violence took place on August 28 after India won the match against Pakistan in the 2022 Asian Cup, after which a fight broke out in Melton Road, Belgrave, leading to 27 arrests so far, according to a UK-based media publication Leicester Mercury.
Rumors of an attack on a mosque surfaced on social media on Saturday, which Leicestershire police ousted by saying: “We have seen reports on social media of a mosque being attacked. Officers on the scene have confirmed this is not true. Please only share information on social media that you know to be true.”
A dispersal order was issued until 6am, allowing police to stop and search anyone where they suspect serious violence might be taking place. They can also instruct anyone to move away from a specific location and not return for 48 hours, or send anyone under the age of 16 back home, the publication added.
Leicestershire Police released a statement on its Twitter handle today, saying that “parts of East Leicester experienced serious disarray last night (Saturday 17 September) through this morning (Sunday) as large crowds formed after groups of young men staged an unplanned protest.” started.”
“We had additional officers in the area who became aware of a large group of men traveling towards Green Lane Road, Leicester. Officers tried to contact the group and stay with them while additional officers were called in. They attempted the actions lawful, but, unfortunately, the situation led to disorder,” the statement added.
Police said a large number of officers were present for the safety of the people. A large number of people were searched under Section 60 stop search powers to restore calm to the area.
“Several incidents of violence and damage have been reported to the police and are under investigation. We are aware of a video circulating showing a man dropping a flag outside a religious building on Melton Road, Leicester. This appears to have taken place while police officers had to deal with public order in the area. The incident will be investigated,” the police said.
Leicestershire Police assured they will continue to call for dialogue and calm with the support of local community leaders. “We will not tolerate violence or disorder in our city,” the police said, adding: “We are asking people to avoid the area while our police operation continues. Detention orders are now in effect and we have a large number of officers on duty. locally, protecting our communities.”
Police called for calm, told everyone to return home and asked to share the information that has been verified and is true.
Following reports of Saturday night’s clash, Leicestershire Police’s temporary chief constable, Rob Nixon, said in a video message shared on Twitter: “We have had numerous reports of disturbance on the streets of Leicester tonight, Saturday, September. 17 We have agents there, we are taking control, additional agents are on their way and diversion powers, stop the search powers, we are authorized. Please don’t interfere. We are calling for calm.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)