Further protest in Leicester following disorder

Fifteen people have been arrested in east Leicester during an operation to “deter further disorder” following unrest in the city during the weekend.

It comes after a further protest took place in Leicester on Sunday, following large-scale disorder on Saturday.

Saturday’s trouble flared amid tensions involving mainly young men from sections of the Muslim and Hindu communities, with two people arrested.

Police said it was prompted by an “unplanned protest”.

Leicestershire Police said all 15 people arrested on Sunday remained in policy custody just after midnight on Monday morning.

The force said in a statement: “Officers became aware of groups of young men gathering on Sunday afternoon in the North Evington area of the city.

“Officers spoke to them and took steps, including putting in place a temporary police cordon, to minimise harm and disturbance to communities.”

In the latest protest, on Sunday evening, a group of about 100 had gathered in the city.

The group gathered in Belgrave Road, with members of the crowd telling the BBC they were protesting against the recent disorder.

Police closed the road and some of the crowd briefly tried to push through police lines, complaining they were being prevented from marching.

Later, the protesters walked along Green Lane Road, followed by officers.

There was also a police presence on Humberstone Road, with several nearby streets closed off.

Earlier, Leicestershire Police had said they wanted to avoid a repeat of Saturday night’s confrontations, and that dispersal powers would be used to break up any further gatherings.

In a tweet, the force said: “We have a significant operation in place on the ground in East Leicester this evening and continue to call for calm.

“There is no place for violence or disorder in our city.

“We will be using the powers available to us in order to keep the public safe – this will mean dispersal orders and wider stop and search powers in use.”

The force has also issued a warning about misinformation and rumours, and urged people to be careful about what they shared on social media.

Community leaders in the city have called for “peace and engagement”.

Sanjiv Patel, who represents Hindu and Jain temples across Leicester, said he was deeply saddened and shocked by the recent disturbances.

He said: “We are horrified and deplore what was going on [on Saturday] and across the last two weeks.

“Across the Hindu and Jain community and with our Muslim brothers and sisters and leaders we are consistently saying ‘calm minds, calm heads’.”

He added: “Violence is not a solution to anything. This has to be a time for peace, calm and engagement.”

Suleman Nagdi, of the Leicester-based Federation of Muslim Organisations, told the BBC: “What we have seen on the streets is very alarming.

“There have been problems in the community since the India and Pakistan cricket match and while that game often sparks gatherings they have not in the past turned this ugly.

“We need calm – the disorder has to stop and it has to stop now. There are some very dissatisfied young men who have been causing havoc.

“We need to get the message out that this must end and try to do this through parents and grandparents talking to their sons.”

Two men were arrested after Saturday’s disorder – one on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and another on suspicion of possession of a bladed article.