British govt announces probe into Hindu supremacy-related unrest in Leicester

The British government has announced that it will be launching an independent probe into incidents of aggression between Hindus and Muslims in the city of Leicester in 2022, which was largely provoked and carried out by a Hindu supremacist mob chanting slogans commonly used by lynch mobs in a Muslim area. 

“This review will build a thorough understanding of the specific events that took place and what can be learned from them,” said UK Communities Secretary Michael Gove.

In September of 2022, groups of balaclava-clad men led a march along Green Lane Road, a predominantly Muslim and Sikh area. The men were chanting the Hindu religious slogan “Jai Sri Ram,” which is commonly used by Hindu militant mobs while committing hate crimes and other acts of violence. Groups of people from both sides came out in the streets to protest, resulting in physical altercations and arrests. 

The incident had followed a series of provocations, including chanting outside Mosques, targeted mob attacks on Muslims, and vandalism to homes and businesses over recent months. 

Leicestershire Police’s temporary chief constable Rob Nixon has stated that misinformation on social media played a “huge role” in sparking the anti-Muslim hatred and the resulting tensions. 

A BBC investigation has revealed that most of these incendiary and false tweets originated from India. The top hashtags used by Indian Twitter accounts included #HindusUnderattackinUK and #HindusUnderAttack.

Modi praises Nazi-supporting, rape apologist Hindutva leader V.D. Savarkar on radio

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Hindu supremacist icon V.D. Savarkar, a known Nazi supporter and admirer of Hitler, during a broadcast of his daily radio show addressing the nation.

Referring to Savarkar as a “great freedom fighter,” Modi stated that “the stories related to his sacrifice, courage and resolve inspire us all even today.”

He further praised Savarkar for contributing to “social equality and social justice,” despite the fact that Savarkar is one of the founding thought leaders of Hindutva, a political ideology that believes India should be a Hindu nation while minorities are subjected to discrimination and violence. 

In his writings, Savarkar advocated for using rape as a political tool to subjugate Muslims. He also openly praised Hitler, calling Nazism a “tonic” for Germany.

“Germany has every right to resort to Nazism and Italy to fascism, and events have justified that those isms… were imperative and beneficial under the conditions that obtained there,” Savarkar said. “Nazism proved undeniably the savior of Germany.” 

Bollywood icon says government is tapping into “fashionable” anti-Muslim hatred

Veteran Muslim Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah has raised concerns over rising anti-Muslim hatred in light of the recent release of the Hindu extremist propaganda movie “The Kerala Story.”

Shah told the news outlet Indian Express that “mood on-screen is a reflection of what’s happening on ground: unabashed Islamophobia, which is being used to get votes in elections.”

“The kind of stuff that’s pure, undisguised propaganda is being lapped up and it’s a reflection of the zeitgeist of the times. Muslim hating is fashionable these days, even among educated people. It’s what the ruling party has very cleverly tapped into this nerve,” said Shah.

Shah added that while religious sloganeering and hate speech is celebrated when done by Hindu supremacist politicians, Muslim politicians doing the same would result in immediate backlash. 

“If there had been a Muslim leader who had said, ‘say Allah Hu Akbar and press the button’, sh-t would have hit the fan,” he said. “But here our Prime Minister goes ahead and says things like this.”