Are Birmingham mosque attacks linked to Christchurch?
Counter-terrorism police investigating five incidents which the Muslim community claim are related to last week’s massacre in New Zealand
A Labour MP has warned that “hate is on the march” after five mosques in Birmingham were targeted in what appears to have been a coordinated attack that some claim was inspired by last week’s Christchurch massacre.
West Midlands police were first called to a mosque in the early hours of yesterday morning to find a man breaking windows with a sledgehammer.
Counter-terrorism police are now investigating four other mosques whose windows were smashed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“While the West Midlands Police and Counter Terrorism Unit are yet to establish the motive, the terrified Muslim community in Birmingham is linking the vandalism to the terror attacks in New Zealand,” reports the Daily Mirror.
The investigation “comes at a time of heightened concern for the safety of Muslims in Western countries”, The Independent says.
West Midlands police chief constable, Dave Thompson, said: “Since the tragic events in Christchurch, New Zealand, officers and staff from West Midlands police have been working closely with our faith partners across the region to offer reassurance and support at mosques, churches and places of prayer.”
50 people lost their lives when a white supremacist opened fire at two mosques in New Zealand’s second city last Friday. The attack shocked the country and prompted the government to ban the sale of assault rifles. It has also provoked an outpouring of grief and messages of solidarity at mosques around the world.
In the UK, The Guardian reports “police have stepped up patrols around mosques nationwide”, while the Mirror reports that security will be further stepped up at the Birmingham mosques for Friday prayers following the attacks.
The attacks come just days after Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, announced that mosques are set to share in a multi-million pound government cash injection to boost security after the New Zealand terror attack.
He pledged cash to provide protective security at places of worship, including mosques, and said the money would double to £1.6million in the next year.
Javid also plans a new £5 million fund for security training, The Daily Telegraph reports, “after calls by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) for increased funding amid a rise in far-Right attacks in England, some of which are alleged to have been inspired by the killings of worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand last week.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - December 8, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - pardon me, consumer gloom, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 inexcusably funny cartoons about Hunter Biden's pardon
Cartoons Artists take on nomination qualification, absolute turkey, and more
By The Week US Published
-
What Donald Trump owes the Christian Right
The Explainer Conservative Christians played an important role in Trump’s re-election, and he has promised them great political influence
By The Week UK Published
-
Sexual abuse and ‘cruel indifference’: the disgrace of the French Catholic Church
Speed Read Landmark report estimates around 330,000 children were abused by clergymen and officials between 1950 and 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Former Jehovah’s Witnesses sue over historic sex abuse
Speed Read Group’s controversial ‘two witnesses’ policy has come under fire
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Retired Pope Benedict warns against relaxing celibacy rules
Speed Read Benedict says he ‘cannot keep silent’ on the issue in new book
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Pontiff passion killer: why Italians have less sex when the Pope’s in town
Speed Read New study reveals drop in unintended pregnancies following papal visits
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Pope Francis lifts ‘pontifical secret’ rule in abuse cases
Speed Read Sex abuse cases will no longer be held in secret as Church wrestles with the issue
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Catholic Church to consider ordaining married men
Speed Read Ending centuries of orthodoxy, radical plan aimed to address clergy shortage could lead to conservative backlash
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Pope Francis to force clergy to report sex abuse
Speed Read New law will make it compulsory for all Catholic priests and nuns to report abuse and cover-ups by superiors
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Home Office uses violent Bible verses to deny Christian asylum
Speed Read Refusal letter says the passages are ‘inconsistent’ with Iranian man’s claim to have converted to ‘peaceful’ religion
By The Week Staff Last updated