AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): An independent report has found that Hindutva extremism, Islamophobia, and policy failures fueled the 2022 unrest in Leicester. The study, published by the UK Indian Muslim Council and the Social Policy Association, is based on testimonies from nearly 500 Muslim residents. It rejects the official narrative of “clashes” between Hindu and Muslim groups, pointing instead to years of provocation and the spread of extremist ideology.
Residents described provocative marches through Muslim neighborhoods, nationalist slogans, harassment outside mosques, fireworks near Islamic centers, and abuse against Muslim women wearing hijab. The report also highlights the role of social media, noting that a “Hindutva digital ecosystem” spread Islamophobic content, amplified by online influencers, bots, and accounts from the UK and India.
While stressing that Leicester’s Hindu community should not be blamed as a whole, the study points to a small group of Hindutva extremists as responsible for importing divisive ideas.
The report makes ten recommendations, including scrapping the controversial “Prevent” strategy, legally defining Islamophobia, and officially recognizing Hindutva extremism as a domestic security threat. It also urges reforms in policing to better address community concerns.
The findings support earlier acknowledgments by the UK Home Office that Hindutva extremism played a role in the unrest — a rare admission in Britain’s counter-extremism policy.
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