SCOUT HUT READY TO OPEN AS CENTRE FOR COMMUNITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Scout hut ready to open as centre for community

A former Scout hut at the heart of a long row over plans to lease it to a Muslim group is to reopen as a community building this weekend.

The Forgotten Estates group has refurbished the property in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, and intends to lease it out as a venue for clubs and community groups.

The group was formed in opposition to Leicester City Council's plans to allow As-Salaam Muslim community group to take over the hut.

The council rethought the idea after months of protests by residents outside a nearby community centre where As-Salaam was already meeting to pray.

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby agreed the Forgotten Estates Committee would be given the lease on the hut, in Nursery Road, for two years rent-free.

Maxine Williams, landlady of the Stirrup Cup pub and founding member of Forgotten Estates, said: "We are very nearly ready to reopen.

"We have had new windows and guttering, a kitchen fitted and fire doors put in. It looks like a totally different building."

She said it would be renamed The 55th – after the Scout group that once met there.

She thanked residents who had raised thousands of pounds toward the refurbishment of the building, as well as tradespeople who had donated time and materials to the project.

She said: "People's generosity has made this happen. The 55th will be used most days of the week.

"We are currently putting the final touches to the groups and the timings."

As-Salaam said it had now agreed terms with the city council over leasing the council-owned Raven Centre, next to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre.

Imam Mohammed Lockhat said the group had started moving in, ahead of formally taking over the lease on April 1.

As-Salaam had previously said it could not afford the city council's asking price for rent, but he said terms had now been agreed.

He said: "We are in the process of moving in. We have resolved all of the issues."

He said the protests which cost more than £200,000 to police and had deterred some worshippers from attending prayers, had stopped.

He said: "There have not been any protests for about a month.

"That is we are getting back to normal.

"I am trying to get all those people who were scared to come to return, but that is taking time."

Sir Peter said: "We have reached a position where everybody involved has the opportunity to fulfil their hopes and ambitions.

"It has taken a lot of patience from everyone involved and I would like to thank them for that."

PIG'S HEAD MAN SPARED JAIL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Pig's head man spared jail 

by Tim Healey

A man who placed a pig's head at the door of a community centre used by Muslims has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Liam Ferrar (24) appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court for sentencing yesterday, after pleading guilty to religiously aggravated harassment.

Ferrar went to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, Leicester, in the early hours of December 26 and placed the severed head by the locked doors.

The head was facing worshippers from Muslim group As Salaam as they arrived at the centre that morning for prayers.

District Judge John Temperley, sentencing Ferrar to 12 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, told him: "You were well aware of the significance of your actions.

"You knew what you did would cause great distress. Indeed, that was your intention."

"The pig's head was positioned in such a way it could not be avoided by all those, including, potentially, young children, who had the misfortune to enter the building that morning.

"It is easy to imagine the shock, distress and disgust they would have felt.

"But the harm you caused goes further. Others in the community and beyond would also have been affected when news of the incident spread, prompting profound alarm, fear and insecurity."

The offence was committed at a time when protests were being held outside the community centre over plans by Leicester City Council to allow As Salaam take over a disused Scout hut nearby.

Mr Temperley said Ferrar would have been "keenly aware" of that background.

He said: "It should have been obvious what you did was intimidatory and would only serve to inflame an already tense and volatile situation."

He said the offence was so serious only a custodial sentence was justified. But Ferrar's remorse, previous good character, work in the community and the fact he was "highly unlikely to appear before a criminal court again" meant the sentence would be suspended.

The judge ordered Ferrar to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £85.

Ferrar had been to a party before he planted the head, which he had acquired at a barbecue the previous summer and kept in a freezer at his home in Brook Road, Thurnby Lodge.

Louise Cox, prosecuting, said Ferrar was a member of the Forgotten Estates group "that has been involved in protests about the use of the Scout hut".

Ferrar, who had acted as a liaison between the group and police and was seen by officers as a "calming influence", was recognised on the centre's CCTV footage.

After being arrested on December 28, he "became tearful" and confessed.

Ferrar's solicitor, Stephen Morris, said his client was deeply ashamed of what he had done and had distanced himself from Forgotten Estates.

He said Ferrar was concerned at the lack of facilities in the area and coached a junior football team for which he paid for items from his own pocket.

When the judge said the sentence would be suspended there was a sigh of relief from Ferrar's family and supporters.

After the hearing, Maxine Williams, licensee of the Stirrup Cup pub and a founding member of Forgotten Estates, said: "I was pleased for Liam that he is not going to prison.

"He is a good chap really."

As Salaam imam Moulana Mohammed Lockhat said: "We are happy justice has been done. We hope this will discourage anyone else from taking part in acts which promote religious and racial hatred."

Mr Morris said: "My client wishes to apologise to the As Salaam Trust for any distress his actions have caused."

Read the judge's comments in full here:

R v Liam Ferrar

Leicester Magistrates Court

18th February 2013

District Judge Temperley

Sentencing remarks

You have pleaded guilty to an offence of intentional harassment contrary to s4A Public Order Act 1986. The offence was religiously aggravated. In the early hours of Boxing Day last year, you placed a severed pig’s head outside the entrance doors to the Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, a building that has been used as a place of worship and Madrasah by a Muslim prayer group for approximately three years.

This offence was to some extent planned, premeditated and targeted. You were well aware of the significance of your actions. You knew that what you did would cause great distress, indeed that was your intention. On your version of events you had acquired the pigs head several months earlier. If that is true, your decision to keep it suggests that you either you or someone else had an offence such as this in mind. The timing of the offence may have been random but it was in my view clearly premeditated. The fact you were under the influence of alcohol is not a mitigating factor.

The pig’s head was positioned in such a way that it could not be avoided by all those, including potentially young children, who had the misfortune to enter the building that morning.

It is easy to imagine the shock, distress and disgust they would have felt. The witness statements I have read bear testimony to the serious impact of your actions. But the harm you caused goes further. Others in the local community and beyond would also have been affected when news of this incident spread, prompting profound alarm, fear and insecurity.

In sentencing you I cannot ignore the context in which the offence was committed. For several months protests had been taking place outside the community centre. The police have been involved and as a result there are a number of cases currently before this court.

Whilst I do not suggest you were involved in any of those incidents, as a leading member of the so called Forgotten Estates Group you would have been keenly aware of the background and you would have appreciated better than most the likely effect of your actions in this wider context. It should have been obvious that what you did was intimidatory and would only serve to enflame an already tense and volatile situation. There was a real risk that your behaviour could either prompt others to exact retribution or encourage others to behave in a similar way.

It is not disputed that initially you were seen by the police as a reliable point of contact and in their words a “calming influence”. I accept that you disassociated yourself from the Forgotten Estates Group because you were concerned that it was being hijacked by others with more sinister motives.

I take account of the fact that you are a young man of previous good character. You have never been in any trouble with the police before. The character references I have read do you great credit. You regularly give your time, energy and money to good causes and to helping others.

I also accept that you have demonstrated genuine remorse and regret for your actions. You cooperated with the police and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

I have read the pre sentence report prepared by the Probation service and noted their recommendations.

Weighing up all these factors and applying the Sentencing Guidelines I conclude that this offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified. Were it not for the element of religious aggravation a community penalty would be appropriate. But this is an offence where the targeting of a particular religious group is the most serious factor and consequently a custodial sentence is inevitable.

However in view of your considerable personal mitigation and the fact that you are highly unlikely to appear before a criminal court again, I will suspend the sentence.

I have reduced the sentence by one third to reflect your guilty plea. The sentence I impose is 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for the period of 12 months. There will be one community requirement attached to the order, namely that you will undertake 250 hours of unpaid work.

You will also pay costs of £85.

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE: "NO TOLERANCE FOR DISCRIMINATION"

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicestershire Police: "No tolerance for discrimination"

Police have warned that there is no tolerance in Leicester for discrimination.

They spoke after Liam Ferrar (24) admitted religiously-aggravated harassment aimed at the Muslim community.

The force said Ferrar was arrested and charged within three days of the incident, in which he left a pig's head outside a community centre in Thurnby Lodge, in the city, where a Muslim group held prayers.

Superintendent Mark Newcombe said: "This was clearly a religiously- motivated offence which was directed at those using the community centre as a Muslim place of worship, who found the incident extremely upsetting and shocking.

"We have no tolerance for discrimination in Leicester, of any kind, and the majority of people in the area were left very upset by the incident."

He said he hoped that Thursday's hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court would "send a clear message to people like Ferrar, that all those in the criminal justice system will do all they can to bring you to justice".

Judith Walker, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Everyone has the right to practice their faith without fear of harassment.

"There is no place in our community for this kind of action that deliberately targets people on the grounds of their religion and the Crown Prosecution Service takes this kind of offending extremely seriously.

"Liam Ferrar admitted that he had left the head at the community centre and, in charging the offence, we were satisfied that his actions were motivated by hostility to cause shock and distress.

"Pigs hold a particular significance in the Muslim faith and this action was highly offensive to his victims."

The court was told that on the evening of December 25 last year, Ferrar went to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, and placed the pig's head by the locked doors.

The head was facing outwards, towards the worshippers from Muslim group As Salaam, who arrived at the centre the following morning, Boxing Day.

The community centre has been the scene of regular protests since the summer over a former Scout hut nearby, which Leicester City Council was going to allow As Salaam members to use for prayers instead of the community centre.

The protesters wanted the Scout hut to be kept for use by the wider community.

THREE DENY CHARGE OVER HUT PROTEST

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury (but not on its website):

Three deny charge over hut protest

Three men have appeared in court over offences alleged to have taken place during protests against Muslim group As Salaam using a former scout hut in Thurnby Lodge.for prayers.

Since the summer, people have been holding regular demonstrations outside Thurnby Lodge Community Centre in Thurncourt Road, Leicester, opposing plans to let Muslim group As Salaam take over the nearby hut.

The demonstrations were heavily policed, and protesters were kept 100 metres away from the community centre, where As Salaam members held prayers.

On December 14, three men who all live on the Thurnby Lodge Estate - James Ellliott, Jeffrey Copeland and Lee Murren - were allged to have breached the order.

They appeared in Leicester Magistrates' Court yesterday, where all three pleaded not guilty to knowingly failing to comply with a condition imposed by a senior police officer under section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986.

The case was adjourned until April, when a two-day trial is due to take place.

Elliott (20) of Rona Gardens, Copeland (37), of Thurncourt Road, and Murren (47), of Lyminton Road, were released, were released on conditional bail.

PIG'S HEAD MAN TOLD HE COULD GO TO JAIL

This article appears on the front pages of today's Leicester Mercury:

Pig's head man told he could go to jail

A man who placed a pig’s head outside a community centre used for prayers by Muslims has been warned he faces a possible jail sentence for the offence.

Liam Ferrar (24) appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court today to admit religiously aggravated harassment aimed at the Muslim community.

The court heard that Ferrar had acquired the pig’s head at a wedding the previous summer, and kept it in a freezer at his home in Brook Road, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester.

On Christmas night last year, December 25, he went to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, and placed the head by the locked doors.

The head was facing out, towards the worshippers from Muslim group As Salaam who arrived at the centre the following morning, Boxing Day.

Louise Cox, prosecuting, said: “He was drunk and had been to a party and decided to get it out of his freezer and leave it outside the community centre.

“He did know the impact it would have.”

The community centre has been the scene of regular protests since the summer over a former Scout hut nearby, which Leicester City Council was going to allow As Salaam members to use for prayers instead of the community centre.

The protesters wanted the Scout hut to be kept for use by the wider community.

Miss Cox said the community centre keyholder, who was the first member of As Salaam on the scene on Boxing Day, later told police he was upset by the sight of what he at first had thought was a cat.

“He said he was sickened and disgusted and quickly returned to his vehicle,” she said.

Miss Cox added that the keyholder “said the protest had led to people congregating outside at prayer time and shouting racist comments”, and that “he has heard a number of those racist comments.”

She said Ferrar was a member of the Forgotten Estates campaign group “that has been involved in the protests about the use of the Scout hut”.

“There’s intelligence about this defendant playing a fundamental role in the protest group,” she said.

Ferrar, who at times acted as a liaison between the protest group and the police, was recognised by officers viewing CCTV footage, the hearing was told.

After being arrested on December 28, Ferrar “became tearful” and confessed, the court heard.

After the worshippers found the pig’s head, As Salaam imam Moulana Mohammed Lockhat decided to call the police, who removed it.

Miss Cox told the court Mr Lockhat said in his statement that the incident was “extremely distressing” for the worshippers, “The pig is a creature Muslims are forbidden from using any part of,” she said.Miss Cox added Mr Lockhat had said that “prior to the pig’s head incident, he received malicious communications in relation to pig’s heads and blood”.

There was no suggestion in court of who might have sent the “malicious communications”, nor by what means they were sent.The case was adjourned for a probation report.

District judge John Temperley told Ferrar it was an “extremely serious case”, and that “all options, including custody” were being considered.

Ferrar has been required by a court order to live outside the Thurnby Lodge area, and has been staying with a relative in West End, Leicester.

Steve Morris, representing Ferrar, made an application for his client to be allowed back onto the Thurnby Lodge estate, but the application was declined.

Ferrar is due back at Leicester Magistrates’ Court next month for sentencing.

After the hearing, Maxine Williams, licensee of the estate’s Stirrup Cup pub, and a founding member of the Forgotten Estates group, said: “When it happened I was so saddened by the whole affair and it was very sad and distressing for the Muslims, no doubt.

“I think it’s very sad that it’s so out of character for Liam to do anything like this at all.

“He’s a lovely boy and I still can’t believe it was him.”

She added: “It’s so sad he’s done it and the consequences are so harsh.”

LEICESTER MAYOR PETER SOULSBY GIVES HIS DECISION IN THURNBY LODGE SCOUT HUT ROW

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby gives his decision in Thurnby Lodge scout hut row

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has resolved a bitter dispute over the future of a disused Scout hut.

Demonstrations – some involving hundreds of people and a heavy police presence – have been taking place in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, for the past six months over plans by a Muslim charity to turn the hut into a community centre.

But yesterday, Sir Peter announced a plan which appears to have satisfied both sides in the dispute. The protesters, who have formed a group called the Forgotten Estates Committee, will be given the lease on the Scout hut for two and a half years rent-free.

The group has told Leicester City Council it will develop it as a community centre.

The Muslim charity, the As-Salaam Trust, has been told it can have the lease to another city council-owned building, the Raven Centre, which is next to the Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, where the charity has been meeting for prayers for the past three years.

Sir Peter said a "small number" of groups which use the Raven Centre will transfer to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, or other local council buildings.

Mohamed Lockhat, As-Salaam Trust's imam, said: "We are happy a solution has been found. Some people have felt very passionately about the Scout hut, but everyone will be able to work together for the good of the community."

Maxine Williams, licensee of the estate's Stirrup Cup pub and a founding member of the Forgotten Estates Committee, said: "Everybody I have spoken to so far about Peter Soulsby's decision has been ecstatic.

"When we first heard that As-Salaam wanted the Scout hut we knew it was the wrong place because of problems with traffic and noise.

"The Raven Centre is in the community centre complex, so car parking is available for As-Salaam's members."

The Forgotten Estates Committee has collected thousands of pounds for its plan to turn the Scout hut into a community centre.

It followed a public consultation in which questionnaires were sent to 7,000 households in Thurnby Lodge and neighbouring Netherhall.

Some 1,400 responses were returned to the council – a turnout of about 20 per cent.

Most backed the plan unveiled by Sir Peter yesterday, which was one of two options on the questionnaire.

"This option meets everyone's needs, and I am therefore offering both groups the opportunity to make this happen," said Sir Peter. "I think both groups recognise we have worked very hard with them to find a solution which meets everyone's hopes and needs. Both recognise there is a need to move forward in a constructive way and I've been encouraged by the responses both have given.''

The protests began in August and were held outside Thurnby Lodge Community Centre when As-Salaam members met for prayers.

A police operation was launched to make sure the protests remained peaceful after complaints that worshippers felt intimidated.

Two months after the protests started, the Mercury reported the cost of policing them had reached £200,000.

The final total is unknown.

On Boxing Day, a pig's head was found outside the centre.

A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with the incident and is due to appear in court later this month.

THREE ARRESTED IN LEICESTER AFTER PIG'S HEAD FOUND BY MUSLIM PRAYER GROUP

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Three arrested in Leicester after pig's head fond by Muslim prayer group

A woman and two men have been arrested after a pig's head was found on the doorstep of a community centre used by Muslim worshippers.

The severed head was discovered at the Thurnby Lodge Community Centre on Boxing Day by members of As Salaam - a Muslim group which uses the building for religious purposes.

It was found at about 7.30am when worshippers arrived at the centre, in Thurncourt Road, to open up for prayers.

Police said they are treating the incident as being religiously motivated.

The gesture could be seen as an insult as Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and many consider pigs to be unclean animals.

Earlier today, police arrested a 40-year-old woman and two men aged 37 and 46 in connection with the investigation.

It follows a recent row over As Salaam's desire to use a nearby former Scout hut for prayers.

Residents claim the disused building should be used for a wider range of community activities.

PIG'S HEAD DUMPED AT THURNBY LODGE CENTRE USED FOR PRAYERS BY MUSLIMS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Pig's head dumped at Thurnby Lodge centre used for prayers by Muslims

A pig's head has been left at the doors of a community centre used as a Muslim place of worship.

Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Leicester, is used for prayers by Muslim group As Salaam.

In recent months, the centre has become the focus of a row over the group's desire to pray instead at a neighbouring disused Scout hut, owned by Leicester City Council.

Muslims going to and from prayers at the centre have had to walk past protesters who say the Scout hut should be for wider community use.

At 7.30am on Wednesday, Muslims who arrived to unlock the community centre in Thurncourt Road found a pig's head by the automatic front door.

Muslims are forbidden from eating pork and many consider pigs to be unclean animals, and leaving a pig's head at the doors is an insulting gesture to Muslims.

Police are investigating who is behind the incident.

Moulana Mohammed Lockhat, the Imam for the As Salaam group, said the act had only made members more determined to continue to pray as normal.

He said: "We arrived to open up the centre for prayers and found the pig's head. It had probably come from a butcher's.

"I was deeply saddened by this development. It was clearly an act of deep, religious discrimination against us.

"But that doesn't mean it's going to stop us from praying in the building.

"We still had our prayers on Wednesday morning and putting a pig's head outside isn't going to change things, except maybe make us more determined than ever to carry on."

The prayer group called the police who took the pig's head away.

A 23-year-old Muslim, who attends evening prayers every day at the centre, said: "It's a highly charged atmosphere at Thurnby Lodge at the moment and this was a very provocative act.

"Muslims are prohibited from eating pigs and whoever did this obviously knew that and were setting out to be offensive and make fun of something very serious to us.

"For me, it's mainly the insult but some Muslims are extremely sensitive about the cleanliness of a pig's head."

The protesters trying to stop the Muslim group using the Scout hut, in Nursery Road, are arguing that it should be for everyone and not just Muslims.

Superintendent Mark Newcombe said: "The only people using the community centre on Wednesday were from a local Muslim group and it's easy to draw the conclusion that the pig's head was meant for them, and is the reason we believe this to be religiously motivated.

"We have no tolerance for discrimination in Leicester, be that racially or religiously motivated, and we want members of the public to help us do all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice."

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact police on 101.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

LEICESTER MAYOR SIR PETER SOULSBY: "LET'S RESOLVE SCOUT HUT ROW"

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby: "Let's resolve scout hut row"

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby says he hopes to resolve a long-running row over the lease of a former Scout hut before Christmas.

For months, some residents of Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, have been protesting against Muslim community group As-Salaam's plans to take over the disused building in Nursery Road.

They have been gathering outside a nearby community centre used on a daily basis by worshippers from As-Salaam.

A residents' group, The Forgotten Estates, said it would like the building to be open to the wider community, not just Muslims.The Scout hut is on council-owned land.

A debate was held at the Town Hall on Thursday, triggered by the submission of a 1,500-signature petition against As-Salaam's plans.

Mohammed Lockhat, spokesman for As-Salaam, said: "I would urge you to finalise the lease with As-Salaam as a matter of urgency as your delay only serves to increase tensions within the community."

Mr Lockhat told the council As-Salaam members were regularly harassed and intimidated by the protesters.

He handed over a 3,700-name petition supporting the group's takeover of the Scout hut.

However, it was not formally accepted as it only carried certain details of the signatories.

As-Salaam said people were too afraid to add their full details.

Sir Peter said: "I do hope this can be brought to a speedy solution.

"I would hope that it will be resolved before Christmas."

He acknowledged the difficulty of the situation and thanked the representative of both As-Salaam and The Forgotten Estates for taking part in discussions with him.

A proposed package has been drawn up, though details have only been released to interested parties.

Forgotten Estates spokeswoman Maxine Williams, of the Stirrup Cup pub, said the group's committee did not condone the intimidation of As-Salaam members.

She said after the meeting: "I can understand how they feel.

"It can be intimidating but any protest like this will attract a certain element. We want the protests to be peaceful and amicable."

She said the group had been raising money and was now in a position to take over the Scout hut lease.

It would aim to use it for a boxing club, dance groups and as a gym.

SCOUT HUT ROW PETITION IS HANDED IN TO COUNCIL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Scout hut row petition is handed in to council

Scores of campaigners gathered at the city council offices to submit a petition opposing the handover of a former Scout hut to an Islamic charity.

The group, calling itself the Committee for the Forgotten Estates of Thurnby Lodge and Netherhall, passed the document to City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby yesterday.

They are asking the council not to allow the As-Salaam Trust to take control of a disused scout building located in the heart of the estate.

The charity, whose members have been meeting on the estate for two-and-a-half years, are asking to take over the disused building.

More than 250 Thurnby Lodge residents gathered outside the Leicester City Council headquarters in New Walk last night to witness the handover.

Residents have collected more than 1,500 signatures, which automatically entitle the issue for discussion at a full council meeting.

A spokesman for the group said: "The Scout hut building in Nursery Road is in the heart of the community and much of the community's heart is in it.

"It was built with the youth of the community in mind and it should remain as such."

Campaigner Patrick McShane, 58, said: "We want Peter Soulsby to look at this and see it from our point of view. We want to the building as a facility for the whole community."

Carol Davies, 50, who signed the petition, said: "We've tried to contact our councillors but they're not interested, so we had to take matters into our own hands.

"We're a close community and we'll pull together when we need to."There's nothing here for the children to do and taking away a meeting place like the Scout building would leave even less."

Bridget Massey, 73, said: "Traffic is a big issue. There will be nowhere for all the cars – and this building is meant to be for all of us, not just one section of the community."

Sir Peter Soulsby stood at the steps to the council offices yesterday as he was passed the large list of names.

He said: "The community has quite clearly given this a lot of thought and we will of course listen to any ideas they have about alternative sites.

"It's my job to try and find ways to meet the needs of both groups involved."

Protesters have been holding regular meetings outside the Scout hut.

However, some residents said they would prefer the site to be developed for the wider community.

Up to 400 people at a time have gathered at the building to oppose plans to turn the building into a community centre.

The Mercury was unable to contact the As-Salaam Trust yesterday.

THURNBY LODGE COMMUNITY CENTRE PROTESTS "INTIMIDATING" VISITORS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Thurnby Lodge community centre protests "intimidating" visitors

People using a community centre have complained to police that they feel intimidated by a continuing protest.

Groups of demonstrators have been gathering outside Thurnby Lodge Community Centre most evenings for the past two months to object to plans to let a Muslim prayer group take over a disused Scout hut.

At a police beat surgery on Monday, attended by more than 20 people, officers were asked to do something about the protesters.

Officers said they would continue to patrol outside the centre – which is also a police station – but could not end the demonstrations because the group had a right to peaceful protest.

Up to 400 people at a time have been expressing anger about proposals for the former Scout hut in Nursery Road, which is likely to become a community centre operated by Islamic charity As-Salaam Trust.

The trust currently meets at the community centre next door. The protestors want Leicester City Council, which owns the building, to use the hut as a venue for the whole community.

While police said there had been no "major policing incidents", many estate residents who have not taken sides in the Scout hut issue said they were disturbed by the long-running protests.

One member of a Friday night bingo group said numbers had dropped from about 30 to 20 since the protests began.

She said: "Our Friday night group's on the point of closing because of this. People in their 70s, 80s and 90s aren't reassured just because the police are there."

Another woman at the meeting said: "We don't want to be involved and feel pestered by them."

A 46-year-old man at the meeting said: "The protesters are there every day.

"We appreciate what the police are doing but people are frightened about what's going on and groups in the centre are not getting as many people.

"People coming in who don't want anything to do with it are being asked why they don't join in the protest."

Pc Susan Oakes told the meeting: "This has been going on for some time and there haven't been any major policing incidents. I know it's intimidating for someone who's 70 or 80 who has to go past the protest but the numbers of protesters are dwindling and the situation has been handled maturely. The police don't have any power to move them anywhere else and it's a peaceful protest.

"Some comments have been made on both sides but we don't want to be going in and arresting people when feelings are high. That's not in the best interests of the community as a whole."

Maxine Williams, the manager of the Stirrup Cup pub on the estate, who has been helping to organise the protests, said: "I wouldn't have thought it would put people off using the centre – the protesters are mostly older people and families.

"There are some younger lads who are more boisterous and are shouting at cars asking them to toot their horns to show support but I wouldn't say they were intimidating."

PROTESTS SPARK RETHINK ON ISLAMIC PRAYER ROOM PLAN

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Protests spark rethink on Islamic prayer room plan

The city council is reconsidering plans to allow a Muslim community group to lease a disused Scout hut.

The As-Salaam Trust is hoping to turn the property in Thurncourt Road, Thurnby Lodge, into a community centre and prayer room.

But some residents have staged protests against the plan, gathering in groups – sometimes hundreds strong – outside a nearby community centre where Muslims have been meeting to pray for the past two-and-a-half years.

Protesters fear the plans will cause traffic problems.

They have stressed their demonstrations are not anti-Islamic but aimed at the city council, which owns the land on which the Scout hut is built and which had agreed to sell the hut lease to As-Salaam.Protesters want the hut to be used as a boxing club for youngsters from the estate.

The city council has now said that, with As-Salaam's agreement, it is seeking an alternative site the organisation could use as a community centre.

City mayor Peter Soulsby has met residents and members of the trust and told them council officers will look at all options available.

He has promised to meet them again next month when officers have completed that work.

Sir Peter said: "I am committed to finding a way forward to address the current difficulties in Thurnby Lodge so we can return to a situation of collaboration and harmony in the area."

Leaflets are being delivered to about 1,300 homes to let residents know the council will not complete on the lease while officers are looking at other options that might better meet the needs of As-Salaam.

However, the council says if alternative premises cannot be found for As-Salaam, negotiations on the sale of the lease will resume.

The authority says that, of 100 groups expressing an interest in the building, only As-Salaam could meet the lease criteria.

The council has also said it will look for a venue that can host the boxing club, which was interested in the Scout hut but did not have the funds in place to buy the lease.

As-Salaam's imam, Mohammed Lockhat, said: "We are negotiating with the council. We live in Thurnby Lodge and we would not want to have to travel far to pray.

"Nobody is happy with the situation."

He said worshippers had been "very patient", but some had stopped attending prayers because there had been a "level of intimidation" from some protesters.

Maxine Williams, landlady of the Stirrup Cup pub, next to the Scout hut, has helped organise the protests.

She said she hoped the council would be able to find As-Salaam another site.

"A prayer room in that building would be incompatible with my business and would cause all sorts of traffic problems," she said.

WHY IS AN ESTATE OUT ON STREETS IN PROTEST?

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Why is an estate out on streets in protest?

It's an unlikely setting for an ongoing night-after-night street protest.

However, hundreds of people have been gathering in Thurncourt Road, on Leicester's Thurnby Lodge estate, for some weeks now to protest against an Islamic charity's plan to turn a disused Scout hut into a community centre and prayer room.

On Friday, the number of people taking part swelled towards the 400 mark – with about 50 police officers there to oversee it.

The Leicester Mercury has spoken to people on both sides of the debate and to the city council, which is working to resolve the dispute.

The building at the heart of this is the Scout hut in Nursery Road.

The Scout Association paid for the hut to be built in 1974 and it was a busy base for the movement for almost 30 years.

However, the decision to close it was taken 10 years ago.

Peter Hardy, the association's deputy district commissioner, said: "Unfortunately, the leaders who had given great service to the Thurnby Lodge group for many years decided to step down. We tried to find new leaders in the community but there was no response."

After its closure in May 2002, the building lay all but unused, apart from some occasional use by other groups.

It became the centre of the current dispute earlier this year when it became apparent that a charity, the As-Salaam Trust, had stepped forward and wanted to turn it into a community centre.

The trust indicated last week that it would open the centre to the wider community and indicated it would consider reviving the Scout group if there was sufficient local support.

Its members have been meeting at the neighbouring community centre in Thurncourt Road for the past two and a half years. Those meetings have been the focus of the recent protests – which have coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. Residents involved in the protests – some of which have lasted long into the night – insist their argument is with the city council, not the trust.

They believe local people's suggestions for other uses of the building – including a combination of boxing club, gym and dance studio – have not been taken seriously.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and his team say they are talking to the people behind that proposal and hope to find a suitable venue for it in the same area.

The council said it contacted 100 community groups who previously said they needed a new base, to tell them the building could be available. As-Salaam came forward at that point.

The protesters also believe the proposed community centre would bring extra traffic to the area, particularly as it is in a narrow road which is also a bus route.

Maxine Williams, licensee of the neighbouring Stirrup Cup pub, has been at the centre of the group which is organising the protests. She said the protesters' anger was not directed at the Muslim group.

She said: "It all started when someone at the community centre got an e-mail about the Scout hut.

"When it became clear what was happening, we did the correct thing and put a petition forward because we wanted a say over what was happening in our community. There was no consultation and no notices put up in the street, so people felt they weren't being told what was going on."

The future of the Scout hut was to be discussed at the area's regular ward meeting last month. So many people turned up that the meeting was abandoned because it would have breached the building's capacity.

The abandonment of the meeting and the subsequent decision to cancel a ward councillors' surgery a few weeks later angered people.

Residents have said they will continue to stage their street protests, although last Friday's, which drew up to 400 people, was the "big one".

At times, between 30 and 50 police officers have been drafted in to oversee the protests. No arrests have been made. Vanessa McKinnon took part in Friday's protest.

The 40-year-old mum and grandmother to a one-year-old boy, said: "I didn't know that As-Salaam have been praying at the community centre for two and a half years but I can understand why they are looking for a permanent home. But people feel that they already have somewhere to meet.

"A lot of them are coming from far and wide to pray here. We feel there aren't enough things for young people on this estate and we need the council to do something about that.

"I can understand that some people from As-Salaam might be scared by the protests and that's why I have stood on the other side of the road when I've been down there because I don't want to intimidate anyone."

Protest organisers have told the Leicester Mercury they do not welcome the attentions of outside groups such as the British National Party and the English Defence League.

BNP leader Nick Griffin made an impromptu appearance on Friday evening and, reportedly, again yesterday morning. According to eyewitnesses he was greeted with indifference.

Another issue which has arisen is that unfounded rumours have begun circulating through the internet. These include a claim that the neighbouring Anglican Christ Church had been asked to cover its cross for fear of offending Muslims.

Canon David Monteith, Acting Archdeacon of Leicester, said: "There is no truth at all in the malicious rumour that the church was asked to cover the cross. The information is totally unfounded."

PLEA FOR CALM AFTER PROTESTS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Plea for calm after protests

An appeal for calm has been made after an escalation in protests against a Muslim charity's plan to turn a disused building into a community centre.

Up to 400 people took part in a protest on Friday night against the proposal for the former Scout hut in Nursery Road, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester.

A charity, the As-Salaam Trust, whose members have been meeting on the estate for two-and-a-half years, looks likely to take on the building.

But some residents say they would prefer the building, which has not been in full-time use for four years, to be developed for the wider community.

They are also concerned about extra traffic the centre might create.The recent protests have been held outside the estate's main community centre, in Thurncourt Road, where As-Salaam's members meet for prayers.

Protesters said the city council had not asked them for their views on the future use of the Scout hut. Some back a proposal to set up a boxing club and gym in it.

Up to 50 police officers – including some drafted in from other parts of the county – were on duty for Friday night's protest, which was the largest so far.

Earlier in the evening, British National Party leader Nick Griffin made a brief appearance.

Later, a number of men and youngsters were reprimanded by protesters for directing threatening insults at people as they left the community centre after prayers.

Maxine Williams, manager of the Stirrup Cup pub, who has been taking part in the demonstrations and attended a meeting with city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby last week, said outside groups, including the BNP leader, were not welcome.

She said: "Our aim on Friday was to bring out the elderly, families and kids and that's what we did. There will still be protests, but that was the big one.

"We've had one meeting with Sir Peter Soulsby and it was productive. We'll meet him again in a couple of weeks."

However, another resident said: "The protests need to calm down.

People don't seem to realise that the atmosphere there has sometimes been really intimidating and some people have been aggressive."

Assistant city mayor Councillor Sarah Russell said yesterday that Sir Peter would be meeting protesters again in the near future.

Meanwhile, she said, the council was also looking at ways of addressing residents' concerns about potential traffic problems.

Councillor Russell said: "We would urge people to calm things down and communicate their concerns at meetings with us. We are listening to them.

"The boxing club people were not at the point where they could take the Scout hut on, but we are working with them to find them a suitable venue in the area.

"There are facilities in the area, including things for young people to do, and we are happy to work with people there to look at other things we could do."

Mohammed Lockhat, As-Salaam's imam, said earlier this week: "If we could sit down together and talk, we would be able to understand each other better.

"People have said they are concerned about traffic, but most of the people would be walking to the Scout hut because they live here."

The Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations has urged the council to continue speaking to residents to resolve the dispute.

Spokesman Suleman Nagdi said: "The issue has been such that there have been outside influences on the protests which have now grown to an alarming rate.

"Our perception is that these outside forces simply wish to destabilise our harmonious communities."

A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said on Friday night: "The protests which have taken place in Thurnby Lodge this evening and earlier this week so far have passed without incident and no criminal offences have been committed.

"However, police will continue to monitor the situation."

PROTESTS STAGED OVER FAITH GROUP PLAN FOR BUILDING

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Protests staged over faith group plan for building

A series of late-night protests have been staged against a faith group's plan to convert a disused Scout hut in Leicester into a community centre.

Dozens of police have been stationed in Thurnby Lodge estate for the past few nights to oversee the peaceful demonstrations, which at their height have attracted up to 150 people.

Residents said they were angry the former Scout hut in Nursery Road looked likely to become a community centre operated by Islamic charity the As-Salaam Trust.

They would like the building, which has been empty for several years, to be developed for the wider community.

They are also concerned about extra traffic the centre might create.

Opponents have held their protests outside the estate's main community centre, in Thurncourt Road, where As-Salaam's members have been meeting for prayers for the past two-and-a-half years.

They said the city council had not asked them for their views on the future use of the Scout hut.

Some support a proposal to set up a boxing club in the building.

Maxine Williams, manager of the Stirrup Cup pub, has been taking part in the demonstrations.

She said: "People are protesting because they feel that they have not been consulted and that the council has handed the keys to the Scout hut to As-Salaam.

"There is a lot of concern about the amount of traffic that it will bring and that people's peace will be shattered."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was due to meet a group of residents today.

He said: "As-Salaam has been meeting in the area for some time and was looking for a permanent home.

"If the people who are interested in opening a boxing club can establish themselves, we will help them find suitable premises.

"However, our view was they were a long way from being in a position to take this building on."

Mohammed Lockhat, As-Salaam's imam, said: "If we could sit down together and talk, we would be able to understand each other better.

"People have said they are concerned about traffic, but most of the people would be walking to the Scout hut because they live here."

The Scout Association told the city council in September last year that it wanted to end its lease of the hut.

The council said it then contacted more than 100 community groups which had told it they were looking for premises.

Of the groups that expressed an interest, As Salaam was the only one that could meet the lease criteria agreed with the Scout Association, the council said in a leaflet which was delivered to homes on the estate last week.

A police spokeswoman said: "The police have a legal duty to facilitate a peaceful protest and have no powers to stop a demonstration."