Edinburgh Churchmen Call for Peace after Race Attacks

Two churchmen in Edinburgh have urged for the cities various communities to live peacefully with one another following a spate of racially-motivated attacks in the Leith area of the city.

|TOP|Rev John Tait, Vice Chair of Leith Churches Together, stressed that different communities must “love and respect” one another, while Rev George Shand of St Thomas’ Junction Road Church said that an attack on the community is an attack on all.

According to a report by The Scotsman last week, 13 cars belonging to Sikhs and Muslims have had their tyres slashed, in what police are treating as a deliberate attempt to intimidate members of the city’s ethnic minority communities.

The attacks in Edinburgh come as Britain’s Hindu and Muslim communities continue to report that they are increasingly the victim of hate crimes, particularly since the London terrorist bombings in July.

Ragbir Singh Landa, vice president of the Sikh Temple in Mill Lane, said that community relations in Leith were good and that he was at a loss to explain the attacks.

|QUOTE|"They seem to be targeting Sikhs and the Muslim community but we don't know what the motives are behind it.

"We could perhaps have understood it after 9/11 or after the attacks in London. We don't know why this is happening now and what triggered it."

According to Shami Khan, a Labour councillor and member of the police board, similar incidents happened in December 2004, when around 50 racially motivated incidents took place across Scotland’s capital.

Mr Khan said that people “feel there is no hope”.

“There are Muslims and Sikhs being born, brought up and educated in Scotland but they are not being empowered in the community,” he said.

"It is very concerning that this is happening. Sometimes people in the community feel like there is a vendetta against them. It is very scary for people that it happens to.

|AD|“We are trying to urge people not to take the law into their own hands, but that's what some of them want to do. We don't want that, because it will turn into some sort of gang war. It's in Leith this week but it could be the other side of the town next we just don't know,” he warned.

The Rev John Tait spoke out against the attacks urging members of the Leith community to “support all efforts to nip this development in the bud”.

“Today it is essential that all communities in Leith and indeed in Scotland value and respect one another. All that fosters fear and violence against any group is an attack on us all. God wants all people to live together in peace and in harmony with each other and with Him,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rev George Shand said that, “The diversity of Leith is what makes it such a vibrant, exciting community.

“If that is under attack, it is an attack on all of us.”

Representatives of the various ethnic communities are keen to prevent the attacks from escalating.

“Our concern is that from car vandalism, armed with a sharp object, it could lead to confrontation,” said Gurmit Singh of Leith Sikh Gurudwara. “I think the attacks will rise until the perpetrators are caught due to others “jumping on the bandwagon” so to say.”

Foyfol Choubhoy, vice-chairman of the Edinburgh and Lothian Racial Equality Council, said: "It is alarming that these seemingly racially-motivated attacks are happening and I would hope the police will take serious action.

"The Sikh and Muslim communities in Edinburgh are very small communities and once word of this spreads it will upset and worry a lot of people. If police don't catch these people quickly we would fear that these incidents would spread to other parts of the city."

The acts of vandalism took place between December 30 and January 3 in a various streets all across Leith, including Dudley Avenue, Mill Lane, Summerside Place, Rosslyn Court, North Fort Street, Madeira Street and Pilrig Gardens.