IHRC has today called on the Home Secretary to take immediate action to protect the public from violent protestors claiming to be demonstrating against the government of Iran but are in fact targeting Muslim community institutions and Iranian restaurants and businesses across the UK.
The most notable aggression is centred on the Islamic Centre of England (although not limited to it nor confined to the capital – religious centres in Birmingham and Manchester have also seen similar attacks). The centre has experienced organised violence by highly charged mobs intent on doing damage to the premises and the people.
The protestors seem to be following a well-rehearsed script beginning with social media incitement and culminating in physical attacks, often involving weapons, on buildings and persons everywhere they gather. This also includes intimidating attacks to force Iranian restaurants and businesses to physically show their support for a Loyalist, violent minority by visibly displaying a Loyalist flag on their premises. A recent attack involved the use of Molotov cocktails.
“Given the invariably violent nature of these protests we are at a loss to explain the indifference of your government to ensuring public safety and protecting private property,” says the letter.
The letter also accuses alongside their handmaidens in the media, have deliberately whipped up an environment of hate in which anything perceived to be pro-Iran is a legitimate target for its detractors.
On Tues 3 Feb, David Taylor MP called in Parliament for military strikes against Tehran, an action that would be illegal under international law. Taylor also called for proscription of groups like IHRC on the basis of “alleged links to the Ayatollah” that he does not evidence, and even falsely claimed Iranian dissidents were attacked outside the IHRC “centre”.
In view of the above, IHRC demands that the Home Secretary to instruct the police to apply all lawful measures to protect persons and community institutions being targeted by anti-Iranian protestors. We also urge your government to immediately cease its role in creating an environment of hate by falsely linking Muslim community groups to the Iranian government, which makes such hostility and violence against mosques and congregants inevitable.
[ENDS]
For more information or comment please contact the Press Office on (+44) 208 904 0222 or (+44) 7958 522196 or email media@ihrc.org
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IHRC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom
Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org
Twitter: @ihrc
