Mosque in southwest England vandalized in suspected hate crime

LONDON: A mosque in Taunton, in southwest England, had its windows smashed in an act of vandalism, prompting police to appeal for information, it was reported on Thursday.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning on Sept. 6 at the Taunton Central Mosque and Islamic Centre.

Sajjad Jabarkhel, who works at the mosque, said the attack has left the community feeling “hurt.”

He told ITV News: “There’s a sense of hurt and disappointed that this has happened and it comes at a cost, most people have lived here for years and when something like this happens it is painful. In terms of the spirit of the community, they see Taunton as their home.”

Police are seeking to speak to two people in connection with the incident, which they said they were treating as a hate crime.

Avon and Somerset Police said: “During this incident criminal damage was caused to glass windows at the property and the motivation behind this incident is currently unknown, but it is being treated as a hate crime. Reassurance patrols have been carried out around the area. However, we believe this to be an isolated incident.”

The vandalism has occurred amid heightened tensions in the UK, linked to protests against asylum seekers and a social media campaign called “#OperationRaisetheColours.”

According to the anti-far-right Hope Not Hate group, the initiative, which involves painting or displaying UK and England flags on buildings and public structures, is led by Andrew Currien — a former member of the Islamophobic English Defence League and now associated with the far-right group Britain First, also an anti-Muslim group.

While some supporters of the initiative present it as patriotic, the campaign has been connected to racist or Islamophobic incidents, such as the one in Taunton.

Gideon Amos, the MP for Taunton and Wellington, condemned the attack.

“The people who attacked and smashed the door of our local community center and mosque just before this morning’s children’s event are not welcome in our town, he said.

“They aren’t patriots, they are weak and cowardly and I completely condemn them. To those who smash up any part of our town — you will be caught, you will be punished with the full weight of the law and you deserve to be.

“I visited to show my support to the families affected — the police have mounted an investigation and are collecting CCTV footage from several local areas,” he added.