Wednesday 21 September 2022 03:35 PM Planned talk by Hindu nationalist leader Sadhvi Ritambhara sparked temple ... trends now

The riot by 200 young Muslim men outside a Hindu temple in Birmingham last night was sparked by the temple's plan to host a controversial speaker linked to Hindu extremism.

Hardline Hindu nationalist Sadhvi Ritambhara was due to speak at the Durga Bhawan Mandir at the start of a five-venue tour of the UK.

But her trip, which was scheduled to involve further speeches in Nottingham, Coventry and London, was cancelled at the weekend with supporters claiming it was due to 'ill health' and her opponents claiming that her British Hindu hosts had withdrawn their invitations.

Nevertheless, up to 200 protesters descended on the temple on Spon Lane, Smethwick, to warn of trouble should other extremist Hindu speakers be invited to speak in the UK.

One masked protester said: 'This is a message from Birmingham to the BJP and the RSS Hindutva supporters, you're not welcome in Birmingham, you're not welcome in Leicester, you're not welcome in Nottingham, you are not welcome anywhere in the UK.'

Police were seen with riot helmets and shields confronting the crowd, believed to be predominantly Muslim men, and attempting to move them away from the temple while protesters climbed the surrounding boundary fence.

Bottles and firecrackers were thrown at police who were later forced to close the surrounding road so they could usher the protesters across the street.

It follows days of unrest between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester where 47 people were arrested during violent clashes this weekend, which community leaders say were fuelled by misinformation online and outsiders travelling to the city from areas including Birmingham to fan the flames of sectarian tensions. 

Ahead of last night's protest, temple leaders claimed 'false allegations' had been spread in a 'plot to create some situation', according to Birmingham World.

A member of the committee told the outlet: 'We have informed the police. We were told about the protest by the Chair of the Imam group in Sandwell.

'People are trying to create a situation like Leicester here. There have never been any issues here between communities so far and we are not a BJP/RSS centre.'

RSS refers to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, an all-male Hindu nationalist volunteer group, often described as a paramilitary organisation while BJP refers to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party in India which has been accused of passing policies and pursuing a religiously divisive agenda.

Ritambhara came to prominence in the 1990s and is the leader of the women's wing of the RSS and with links to the BJP. 

Ritambhara, 57, had been invited by the Param Shakti Peeth charity to address five Hindu temples in the UK. She was previously on a speaking tour of the USA which had also prompted protests from Muslim and Christian groups.

News of her visit prompted Sam Tarry, Labour MP for Ilford South, to ask the Home Office to intervene and stop her tour.

In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman he wrote: 'As you will know, Sadhvi Rithambara is a hugely divisive figure, known for her xenophobic speeches and rhetoric, in particular against the Muslim community in India.

'She was previously arrested on grounds of inciting communal violence in the wake of the Babri Masjid's demolition, which led to the death of over 2000 people.

'It is my constituents and my belief that her Islamophobic rhetoric has no place within our multicultural and diverse community of Ilford, and I am deeply worried about the potential stoking of communal tensions, should her visit be allowed to progress.'

The charity Hindus for Human Rights had also protested against her visit and had campaigned against her speaking tour of America earlier this month.

Their executive director Sunita Viswanath said: 'She is a hatemonger, a Hindu extremist who incited and participated in the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992 and spews hate speech against Muslims and Christians.

'The hatred for Muslims that has taken root in the Hindu community, both in India and the diaspora, is due to hateful people like her.'

One of the organisers of Sadhvi Ritambhara's speaking tour says she withdrew her support after learning of the firebrand's background.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the woman who is a doctor in the West MIdlands, said: 'I was contacted earlier this month by a lady from a charity in London who asked if I could help arrange this talk. All I knew was that the speaker runs an orphanage in India.

'I then got an anonymous call to say that this woman was not good and that I would be in trouble if it went ahead.

'I looked up the woman and saw that she had said things that were not correct and my children strongly warned me about getting involved.

'I then contacted the charity in London to express my concerns and they said that others had also been warned off and that the visit was not going ahead.

'It has been a learning curve for me. I like to do community work across faith groups and I got involved without doing my research.

'I have since had to speak to the police because I have had many threatening calls and continue to get them. I am unable to answer my phone.'

West Midlands Police, who had warned of the protest in Smethwick, said their officers had fireworks and missiles thrown at them and that one arrest had been made of an 18-year-old for possession of a knife.

The scenes echoed those seen in Leicester just days earlier where sectarian clashes took place over Saturday and Sunday, with Leicestershire Police arresting 47 people, as tensions boiled over following a recent cricket match between India and Pakistan.

Footage of violence breaking out after the cricket match on August 28 was shared widely on social media and police have since asserted the incident was not initially along religious lines.

But the people of Leicester say the relationship between the two communities has been strained for months, instead labelling the cricket match as a 'trigger' for the latest bout of disorder.

Community leaders in Leicester and Birmingham have appealed for calm after claiming outsiders are attempting to sow disorder by spreading false information and stir up religious tension.

Leicestershire Police said they are investigating attacks on both communities, including assaults on Muslim men and the egging of a Hindu family's home.

But not all incidents reported or shared online have been found to be truthful. Claims a Muslim girl had been kidnapped by Hindu men in Leicester were disproved by police, while mosque leaders disputed claims that Hindus had stormed the building and shouted at people who were praying, according to the Times.  

There have been claims that recent Hindu migrants to the city of Leicester hold Indian nationalist views.

Ahead of the protest in Birmingham, Muslim religious leader Nasir Akhtar called for peace and urged people to stay home and not attend the protest after discussions between religious leaders meant the event was cancelled.

A post by Param Shakti Peeth charity shared on Facebook on September 16 shows that they had told their followers the event was cancelled almost a week before the protest took place.

Mr Akhtar urged people to verify and check information they received and said as soon as the temple became aware of the speaker's controversial background, the event was cancelled. 

In the aftermath of the protest, religious leaders from all faiths pledged solidarity and unity after coming together and standing in unity during the unrest last night.

Temple trustee Ash Kumar praised the multi-faith support and the work of the police, telling the Birmingham Mail: 'We are very grateful to the police who kept us safe and also to other faith leaders who remained on our premises to show a united front.

'We will now keep in regular touch with the local multi-faith forum, we recognise with hindsight we could have done things differently.'

However, he insisted the preacher at the centre of the protest had delivered sermons at the temple without attracting attention before, and that she did good work supporting destitute children and mothers in India.

He added: 'But we are obviously now much wiser and will keep politics out of the temple.' 

Nasir Akhtar, head imam of the Smethwick based Abrahamic Foundation, said: 'We were keen to stand with them to show solidarity, while also speaking with protestors to hear their viewpoints and encourage a dialogue.

'I have sympathy with many of those who were upset and who came out - I too was hurt by the invitation. Some did not accept the trustees were ignorant of the controversy around her. But the way forward is through talking and coming together, not sowing division.'

Local councillor Ahmad Bostan condemned the unrest in Smethwick, writing: 'The despicable scenes witnessed in Smethwick tonight do not represent the harmonious rich diversity of our town and those who came with ill intentions will be dealt with by the law.

'Our communities stand together against such bigotry and the peddlers of hate are not welcome here.' 

It comes as the second man sentenced in connection to violence in Leicester said he was 'influenced by social media', a court heard.

Adam Yusuf, 21, of Leicester, received a suspended sentence after admitting possessing a knife at a march on Sunday.

Leicester Magistrates' Court heard Yusuf, who is from the city, had told the probation service he had been 'influenced by social media' in relation to events taking place near where he lived and was 'upset'.

He was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for 18 months with magistrates informing him his behaviour 'brings shame' on the city and would 'not be tolerated'. 

This weekend, police officers were diverted from the Queen's funeral preparations in London to deal with the unrest which erupted in Leicester on Saturday night and continued into Sunday.

So far, one man from Leicester has been jailed for his role in the incident but police have confirmed that a number of those arrested were from outside the city.

Amos Noronha, 20, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in connection with the violence but no further details of his crime were released. 

Noronha was one of 47 people arrested across the weekend after the clashes which resulted in 16 officers being injured.

Those arrested stand accused of an array of offences including affray, assault, possession of weapons and violent disorder. 

Some in the area had linked the violence to a cricket match between India and Pakistan but community leaders have been adamant that tensions predated that weekend. 

Footage of violence breaking out after the cricket match on August 28 was shared widely on social media and police have

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