GRAFFITI SCRAWLED ON CRUCIFIX OUTSIDE LEICESTER CHURCH

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Graffiti scrawled on crucifix outside Leicester church

Vandals scrawled graffiti "tags" on a crucifix in the grounds of a city church.

The figure outside the Church of St Andrews, in Jarrom Street, near Leicester Royal Infirmary, was targeted this week.

Two designs – TW3 and, possibly, LGC3 – were written on the figure in what appeared to be black marker pen.

The incident is believed to have happened between Monday and Wednesday.

Canon Barry Naylor, who discovered the damage, said: “It has caused a great deal of upset.

“There is a 4ft fence with spiked railings they would have to get over and then the crucifix itself is quite all. So they have gone to some effort to do this.

“I am hoping that someone will be able to tell the police who did this.

“I have told the police that, if possible, I would like to speak to this person or people and explain to them how much they have upset people.

“Another reason people here are so upset is that when I first came to the church the figure on the cross was old and damaged and people in the church raised money to buy a new one.

“It has become quite a focal point and people will sometimes stop in the street and make the sign of the cross in front of it.”

Pc Tahir Mahmood, who is investigating, said: “This is obviously a distressing crime for the church, who are saddened that someone would do this to their property.

“I would appeal to anyone who was in the area between Monday and Wednesday and saw either anyone acting suspiciously or loitering in the area to get in touch.

"I would also like to speak to anyone who has heard anything about the incident, whether it be from, friends or heard rumours.

“Even the smallest piece of information may help.”

Contact Pc Mahmood on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

I HAVE A DREAM ABOUT NEXT POPE

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

I have a dream about next Pope

Martin Luther King famously declared "I have a dream!". That dream was to unite black and white Americans as one equal family.

Well, I too have a dream. That whoever is elected the next Pope, will issue his first encyclical as follows: "That the distinction between Roman Catholic and Protestant be no more. For we are all Christians under God and thus, from this day forth, all Christians are welcome to take the sacraments at our churches."

It is sadly but a dream.

John Burrows, Humberstone

PM CRITICISED OVER FAILURE TO APOLOGISE FOR INDIA ATROCITY

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

PM criticised for failure to apologise over India atrocity

Prime Minister David Cameron's decision not to apologise for the massacre of hundreds of Indian people in 1919 by troops under the command of a senior officer in the British-Indian Army has been criticised by Leicester's Sikh community.

Ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, the troops shot into a crowd of thousands of protesters, including women, children and elderly people until their ammunition ran out.

Mr Cameron visited the site of the shootings in Amritsar, northern India, yesterday, signing a book of condolence and laying a wreath at the spot of the slaughter.

The first British PM to do so, he described the atrocity as "a deeply shameful event in British history".

However, Mr Cameron stopped short of an official British apology, claiming it would not be right to "reach back into history and to seek out things that we should apologise for".

"I think the right thing to do is to acknowledge what happened, to recall what happened, to show respect and understanding," he said.

The decision has sparked debate as to whether he should have issued a formal apology to the people of India.

Raj Mann, of the Leicester Sikh Alliance, had two great-grandfathers who served as British officers in the British-Indian Army.

He said: "It's very positive he acknowledged the 1919 massacre as a shameful and indelible stain on Britain's colonial history, but it doesn't go far enough.

"He needs to look at compensation and reparations for the families of the victims and we're disappointed with the level of apology he's given."

Mr Cameron visited the holy Sikh city, in the state of Punjab, during a visit to India to encourage business links. Before visiting the massacre site, he toured Amritsar's Golden Temple, the holiest site in the Sikh religion.

"Some commentators have argued this was a trade visit and it would have been a cynical apology, but I don't agree – I don't think that's right," said Mr Mann. "He had the perfect opportunity."

Amandeep Rai, also a member of the Leicester Sikh Alliance, said: "It's mixed feelings, to be honest. Mr Cameron didn't have to go to Amritsar and make any kind of statement or sign the book. It was kind of a half-baked sentiment.

"I'm not saying bridge-building is required, just some acknowledgement in the form of an apology."

Rushey Mead councillor Culdipp Bhatti, a former Punjabi national, who had family in the British forces, said: "Sikh soldiers fought and died for a country they had never been to and this is the reward they get.

"I think the Sikh people deserve an apology."

Mr Cameron signed the book of condolence at a permanent plaque in the Jallianwala Bagh public gardens, where the massacre took place.

Mr Cameron wrote: "We must never forget what happened here, and in remembering we must ensure the UK stands up for the right of peaceful protest around the world."

An inquiry commissioned by the Raj colonial authorities found 379 people were killed, though this has been challenged by Indian sources, who put the death toll at 1,000 or more.

REDP DISCUSS COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO DRAFT POLICE & CRIME PLAN

A meeting at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL) this afternoon with colleagues from the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) to formulate a collective response to the draft five-year plan produced by Police and Crime Commissioner, Sir Clive Loader.

As well as LCIL itself and Leicester Council of Faiths, The Race Equality Centre (TREC) and Leicester LGBT Centre are represented here today.

This is the second time we've got together recently to talk about the draft plan. We met collectively (along with a few other VCSE participants) at TREC last month, when we spoke to face-to-face with Sir Clive and members of his team. I'd read the plan through and made some extensive notes before that meeting and was able to make what I hope were some salient points. But not everyone who was there then had been able to read, digest and comment on the plan. So we thought it best to meet at this later date and put together a united response. That approach has always served our organisations well in the past and we have confidence that it should do so in this context too.

We each have certain things to say about our own areas of interest and expertise, as well as highlighting issues around more general equality matters. So we'll all be contributing to this collective response. Chino Cabon, Senior Race Equality Officer at TREC, is going to write it on behalf of the four organisations and submit it to Sir Clive before the deadline in a couple of weeks. Sir Clive has scheduled a revision of the plan in September as part of its life cycle. We hope that our comments will be considered for that - and that we'll be involved in further consultation and discusion.

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.

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,766)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United States 631
2. United Kingdom 400
3. Russia 330
4. Poland 175
5. France 63
6. Ukraine 59
7. Spain 37
8. Germany 30
9. Sweden 23
10. India 18

This week's total: 1,766 (last week: 1,681). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's analytics doesn't show the numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country and they don’t show the cumulative total including those additional countries, which is undoubtedly larger than the number shown above.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

THUG SPAT ON WOMAN WHO WAS WEARING A HIJAB IN HUMBERSTONE ROAD, LEICESTER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Thug spat on woman who was wearing a hijab in Humberstone Road, Leicester

A thug spat at a woman in the street apparently because she was wearing an Islamic head scarf.

Police have appealed for help tracing the man, who targeted the woman in Humberstone Road, near Leicester city centre.

The 20-year-old woman was walking near to the St Matthews service station when she noticed three young men approaching her.

One of them spat on her as they passed by and the three began laughing as they walked away.

Officers have released a CCTV image of three people they want to trace.The incident happened shortly before 1pm on Monday, February 4.

Pc Dave Adams said: "The victim felt upset and frightened following the incident and feels that she was targeted because she was wearing a hijab.

"We will not tolerate people feeling intimidated and frightened on our streets and I would urge anyone with information to call us as soon as they can.

"The road was quite busy at the time of the incident so there is a possibility that passers-by and passing traffic may be able to help."

The three suspects are white, 18 or 19 and of slim build.

One was wearing a peaked cap and another was wearing a black hooded top.

Contact Pc Adams on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

RELIGIOUS CENTRE PLAN TO GO AHEAD

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Religious centre plan to go ahead

Plans to build a place of worship and education centre look set to be approved despite neighbours' objections.

Goodwood Community and Education Trust wants to put up a three-storey religious centre, with a 19m-high minaret and 31-space car park.

It would be at the corner of Gamel Road and Davenport Road, Goodwood, Leicester, where temporary cabins have served a similar purpose for five years.

The redevelopment plan – for a former pub site – will go before Leicester City Council's planning and development control committee on Thursday. Senior planning officers are recommending the scheme be approved.

However, 33 people have signed a petition opposing the plans and six sent in letters of objection. They said the site was not big enough, would be too noisy and would create traffic and parking problems.

Carol Wellborn, of Davenport Road, said: "We've lived here for 50 years, but every Friday can't get a parking space in our own street.

"The big thing for me is the buses. During prayer times on Friday, the roads are blocked. It means buses can't get through. They are a lifeline to the many elderly people in this area.

"My neighbours are Sikh and Muslim and I have no problem with that, but my view is there are enough mosques.

"This place would be ideal for a youth or community centre, which people are crying out for – something everyone could use."

A Harringworth Road resident, who did not want to be named, said: "They say they're a community centre, but a tenants' association meeting the other day was the first time in five years they've invited us in.

"Come prayer time, it's impossible to park."

Another resident said: "Thirty-one parking spaces is nowhere near enough."

If approved, hours of use will be from 7.30am to 11pm on most days and conditions would prohibit parking on verges and live or amplified music or calls to prayer.

In his report, planning director Andrew Smith said: "I consider a new building and car park would greatly improve the appearance of this prominent corner plot.

"The proposed conditions would help to minimise the impact on nearby residential properties."

ANGER AS FAMILY TOLD TO TRY HINDU FREE SCHOOL FOR PLACE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Anger as family told to try Hindu free school for place 

A family have been told to send their five-year-old two miles away to the city's Hindu free school after they were informed three local primaries were full. 

Micayla Dodd and her partner, Ryan Thompson, moved from Thurmaston to Lymington Road, in Netherhall, in October, along with Micayla's daughter, Grace, five. 

They have since been told none of their three nearby primaries, including Scraptoft Valley, at the end of their road, has places. 

Leicester City Council has instead suggested the family apply to Krishna Avanti Primary, which is more than two miles away, in Spencefield Lane.

The family said they would prefer Grace studied closer to home than this school, which has a Hindu ethos and takes half of its pupils from the Hindu faith.

Krishna Avanti Primary said it "promotes educational excellence, character formation and spiritual insight through holistic, responsible lifestyles and a vegetarian diet, as well as a curriculum that integrates yoga and meditation".

It draws on the teachings of the Indian Saint, Sri Chaitanya, to "emphasize equality, love, compassion and selflessness that stretches across all faiths".

Mr Thompson said: "I have nothing against the faith, but, it's not the type of school we would consider sending Grace to. It's disgusting the local authority can't find a local school to send her to and is suggesting one that's not even part of the local authority."

Krishna Avanti is the city's first free school and has control of its own finances and curriculum. In keeping with its Hindu ethos, the school provides only vegetarian food.

Mr Thompson said: "It's not good enough that although we applied in November for a place, Grace still doesn't have one, let alone that the only one available is Krishna Avanti, and not any of the three schools close to where we live.

"The council needs to do something about the fact there are no places.

"Grace was thriving at her old school, Church Hill Infants, and now she's really withdrawn. She had lots of friends there and the best thing to do would have been to start her new school straight away.

"Now, she's scared about going to a strange place where she doesn't know anyone. She's lost all her confidence."

A spokesman for the city council said it was only obliged to ensure there were a sufficient number of places within the local authority area.

He said: "This includes voluntary-aided, trust and free schools, as well as academies and community schools. We are not obliged to provide solely community school places.

"We were unable to offer a place at any of the applicant's three preferred schools as they were all fully subscribed and advised that places were available at the nearby Krishna Avanti Primary. We also advised the applicant of their right to appeal the decision.

"We're exploring a range of options to increase capacity and create additional primary places across Leicester. This work is ongoing and it's too early to discuss in detail."

The council needs to find thousands more primary school places to tackle a shortage caused by an increase in the city's birth rate and more people moving to the area.

Options could include some secondary schools taking pupils from the age of four and expanding some schools for pupils aged four to seven into all-through primaries.

WORLD FAITHS ADVISORY GROUP AT LEICESTER UNIVERSITY, FEBRUARY 2013

A meeting of the World Faiths Advisory Group (WFAG) at the University of Leicester's Chaplaincy Centre (The Gatehouse, University Road) this lunchtime.

Present today are Rev Canon Dr Stephen Forster (Coordinating Chaplain), Ian Snaith (Chair, WFAG), Chris Sharp (Equalities Adviser to the University of Leicester) and Resham Singh Sandhu (Chair of the Sikh Cultural and Welfare Society, Vice Chair of Leicestershire Interfaith Forum and past-Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths).

With Chris present at today's meeting, it makes sense to talk about the World Faiths Advisory Group's relation to the University's management of equality issues. Under the terms of the Public Sector Equality Duty, the University of Leicester - like all public bodies - has to apply itself to three aims of the general duty:

• To eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010. By removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
• To advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
• To foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. By encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.

 

We discuss the possibility of establishing a Religion or Belief Forum, which would function alongside hose already operating at the university in relation to other Protected Characteristics as enumerated in the Equality Act 2010. If such a forum existed, it would free WFAG from having to be involved in governance issues and allow this group to make progress on issues that fall within its specific remit. I am able to speak to the meeting in support of this idea. It's been my experience that the Protected Characteristic of Religion or Belief is taken more seriously an treated with more respect when it is see in context with the other Protected Characteristics, rather than trying to stand alone outside the general scheme of things or to make special pleading on grounds of exceptionalism.