An article titled ‘Violent ethnic clashes in Leicester last year’ by Abul Taher & Nicholas Pyke propagates agenda based myths far from reality
First, the article heavily relies on unidentified “UK security sources” without providing specific names or verifiable evidence to support the writers’ claims. Lack of transparency in sourcing the write up raises questions on credibility and reliability of the information presented.
The write up attempts to establish a false link between Indian political activists associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ethnic clashes in Leicester. However, the writers have no evidence whatsoever to establish a direct causal link between political activists in India and violent and murderous rioters.
It’s grossly misleading to attribute the entire chain of incidents to a specific political party or its members. The writers audaciously misquote Charlotte Littlewood, a research associate at the Henry Jackson Society, a think tank that did a detailed study on the Leicester violence. Littlewood clarified the context and nuances of her statements. As per her tweet, she did not believe that attacks on Hindu homes should be dismissed as mere “spin.” She expressed concern about Hindus safety in the UK who face unjust blame for political events abroad.
Littlewood stated that while she found links between those who led the Muslim onslaught and criminal groups in Pakistan, she did not find any evidence of BJP / RSS links with Hindu activists that resisted the violence. She mentioned that she had not seen the evidence presented by The Daily Mail regarding BJP involvement between the cricket match and marches.
Littlewood acknowledged presence of individuals linked to Pakistan in the clashes and highlighted potentially problematic nature of evidence suggesting BJP involvement, as it would demonstrate disregard for peace and security in UK. She did not believe that BJP “escalated” the situation. She asserted that her comment was paraphrased and tensions were primarily local, with foreign influence becoming apparent after the initial Hindu march, exacerbating anti-Hindu and anti-Muslim sentiments, particularly online, as per findings of a report conducted by the US-based Network Contagion Research Institute.
She reportedly said that the article appeared one-sided and would contribute to perception of a violent UK Hindu nationalist threat. The referenced study by Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) sheds light on significant impact of malicious narratives propagated through social media and digital platforms, highlighting their purported role in instigating the unrest. The study identified false reports and conspiracy theories fueling ethnic hatred towards the Hindu community, perpetuating Hinduphobic sentiments and intentions.
Influencers such as Majid Freeman, known for his vocal support of slain ISIS fighters and Al Qaeda utilized social media platforms to propagate and amplify these false theories that directly impacted unrest in Leicester. Linguistic analysis done by NCRI revealed a significant disparity in mentions of words “Hindu” and “Muslim” on Twitter, with “Hindu” being mentioned over 40 per cent more frequently.
The Hindu community was predominantly portrayed as conspirators and aggressors involved in a supposed global project seeking supremacy and dominance. NCRI’s AI models identified that over 70 per cent of incitements to violence were targeted against the Hindu community while only 30 per cent were against Muslims. These patterns of reciprocal escalation are likely to continue unless social media platforms take proactive measures to address the misuse of their products, which contributes to on-street violence and aggression against vulnerable communities.
The Daily Mail’s article heavily relies on unidentified “UK security sources” and lacks transparency, casting doubts on its credibility. The article showcases chronic bias against Hindu community and reflects the institutional prejudice of The Daily Mail. Additionally, the misquotations and misrepresentations of Charlotte Littlewood’s statements further undermine accuracy of the article.
This baseless reporting perpetuates unfounded allegations and contributes to misinformation, potentially causing harm and perpetuating negative stereotypes about the Hindu community.
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