Police have arrested three people in connection with an investigation into a religiously motivated incident, which happened in Thurnby Lodge on Boxing Day, Wednesday December 26.

Officers were called at approximately 7.30am on Boxing Day, after a pig's head was found outside a door leading into the Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road.

The centre was being used by a local Muslim group the day the head was left.

Three people, a woman age 40-years-old and two men aged 37 and 46, were arrested in connection with the incident today, Friday December 28, and are currently in police custody.

Leicester Police news report, 28 December 2012

See also Daily Mirror, 28 December 2012

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A man who placed a pig's head outside a community centre used for prayers by Muslims has been warned he faces a possible jail sentence for the offence.

Liam Ferrar (24) appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court today to admit religiously aggravated harassment aimed at the Muslim community.

The court heard that Ferrar had acquired the pig's head at a wedding the previous summer and kept it in a freezer at his home in Brook Road, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester.

On Christmas night, December 25, he went to the Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, in Thurncourt Road, and placed the head by the locked doors, facing out towards the Muslim worshippers who arrived at the centre the following morning.

The community centre has been the scene of regular protests over a former Scout hut nearby which Leicester City Council was going to allow Muslim group As Salaam to use for prayers. The protesters wanted the Scout hut to be kept for use by the wider community.

The court was told the protests had involved racial abuse being shouted by members of the Forgotten Estates campaign group, and other insults.

Group member Ferrar, who at times acted as a liaison between the protest group and the police, was recognised by officers viewing CCTV footage. After being arrested on December 28, he "became tearful" and confessed, the court was told.

Louise Cocks, prosecuting, said: "The defendant is a member of the Forgotten Estates group that has been involved in the protests about the use of the Scout hut. There's intelligence about this defendant playing a fundamental role in the protest group."

Miss Cocks said that on Boxing Day morning, members of As Salaam arrived at the community centre to find the pig's head. Moulana Mohammed Lockhat, the Imam for the As Salaam group, decided to call the police, who went to remove the head.

Miss Cocks said Mr Lockhat said in his statement that the incident was "extremely distressing". "The pig is a creature Muslims are forbidden from using any part of," she said. Miss Cocks added: "He says that prior to the pig's head incident he received malicious communications in relation to pig's heads and blood."

After Ferrar's guilty plea, the case was adjourned for a probation report. District judge John Temperley told Ferrar it was an "extremely serious case" and that "all options, including custody" were being considered.

Ferrar has been required by a court order to live outside the area and has been staying with a relative in Leicester's West End. Steve Morris, representing Ferrar, made an application for his applicant to be allowed back onto the Thurnby Lodge estate, but the application was declined.

Ferrar is due back at Leicester Magistrates' Court at 10am on Monday, February 18, for sentencing.

Leicester Mercury, 24 January 2013

For the background to Forgotten Estates see here and here. Despite the organisation's clear links to the far right, Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby saw fit to give them control of the disputed scout hut rent-free for the next two years. As Salaam, meanwhile, have been offered alternative premises at an unaffordable rent. Did someone mention a "two-tier system"?

EDL member Chris Hopewell presents Forgotten Estates petition to Peter Soulsby

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A charity involved in a dispute over a Scout hut says it cannot afford the rental terms it is being offered for an alternative building.

Demonstrations have been taking place in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, for several months against plans by As-Salaam to turn the hut into a community centre.

Earlier this month, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby agreed protesters from the Forgotten Estates Committee would be given the lease on the hut for two years, rent-free.

The Muslim charity was offered another city council-owned building, the Raven Centre, next to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, where the charity has met for prayers for the past three years. As-Saalam members said they had been offered two rental agreements, neither of which they could afford.

Mohamed Lockhat, As-Salaam's imam, said the group was given the choice of a long-term lease of 125 years, with a rent of £1 a year and an initial payment of the building's commercial value of about £160,000 (about £190,000 with VAT), or a second option of about £16,000 a year rent (about £19,000 including VAT).

However, Sir Peter denied this was the case. He said many offers had been put to the group as "a starting point" and that negotiations were ongoing.

Mr Lockhat said: "They said here are your two options on paper and we simply said those are not possible. They then said that we could possibly negotiate to about half of that, but not much and not anything near what we were expecting to pay for the Scout hut.

"We are a charity and cannot afford to be being paying commercial values. It is not fair. They (the property department at the council) are still working on a price, but it's not coming down anywhere near to what we can afford, or what we agreed to pay for the Scout hut."

At a meeting at the community centre on Tuesday, several people pledged support to As-Salaam. Nizam Hussein, a member of the advisory board for the trust, said:

"We would like everybody here today in support of As-Salaam to put pressure on Mr Soulsby to resolve this as soon as possible, taking into consideration the offer that has been made to us and to come up with something that's a bit fairer. We think that for the centre we have been offered, £750 a year is fair because the building is about a third bigger. We have been very tolerant."

Leicester Mercury, 18 January 2013

See also "Persecution of Thurnby Lodge Muslims continues despite 'resolution'", Leicester UAF, 7 January 2013

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A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with an incident where a pig's head was left at a community centre being used as a Muslim place of worship.

The man was arrested at around 9:15pm yesterday (Friday December 28) and has tonight been charged with religiously/racially aggravated harrasment, alarm or distress under section 4 of the Crime and Disorder Act. He will appear in court in the New Year.

Three people, a woman age 40-years-old and two men aged 37 and 46, arrested earlier in the day on Friday remain on police bail pending further investigations.

The incident happened on Boxing Day at around 7.30am in the morning at the Community Centre on Thurncourt Road in Thurnby Lodge.

Officers would like to thank members of the community for their assistance in this investigation.

Leicester Police news report, 29 December 2012

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After facing months of harassment the Muslims of Thurnby Lodge faced a new horror in the campaign of hatred against the proposed prayer centre at the abandoned scout hut in Thurnby Lodge when a pig's head was left for them on Wednesday morning.

Muslims have faced nightly protests at the community centre they use for prayers at the moment, sometimes attended by the BNP and EDL. These are racist, anti-Muslim organizations known for their extreme views and violence at which 9 people so far have been arrested.

Though local Muslims have every sympathy for the feelings of non-Muslims in our community who feel neglected by the authorities and powerless to stop things getting worse on our streets, we do feel they are being manipulated by far right groups active in Thurnby Lodge recently.

One of the organisers of the anti-Muslim campaign is EDL member Chris Hopewell and who is pictured in the Leicester Mercury handing in a petition. Though he looks respectable in the picture, he is normally more than willing to bare his nationalist tattooed chest when trying to intimidate Muslims in Leicester city centre.

The Imam, Moulana Mohammed Lockhat said: "So far 9 arrests have been made which just goes to show the kind of people we are dealing with."

"There are protests almost daily around Isha (evening prayers) time just to intimidate & harass brothers who come for salaah (formal prayers). We are shocked and saddened by this development which is indeed a discriminating and hurtful act of religious intimidation", he added.

The pig's head did not stop fajr (early morning) prayers going ahead at the community centre, and it is a common misconception amongst the ill-educated thugs who make up far right anti-Muslim movements that the presense of pig remains or blood will some how stop Muslims from building mosques or Muslim community centres.

"Very sadly for those who tried to offend the Muslims, this has just increased our commitment to stay right here," said the Imam.

Volunteers for Outreach4Islam as well as other Leicester based Islamic groups are planning on increasing their efforts to call the non-Muslims of Thurnby Lodge to dialogue and understanding, and to separate those with understandable worries and complaints from the narrow minded violent organisations like the EDL.

Outreach4Islam press release, 27 December 2012

The racist minority among the white population of Thurnby Lodge is not only filled with hatred towards Muslims but is openly hostile to any non-white presence on the estate. Before Christmas, when Leicestershire's only female black firefighter, Velma Simms-Stewart, was on the estate collecting money for charity, one white inhabitant told his daughter not to give money to "the darkie".

Update:  The EDL's Leicester division have offered their own explanation of the appearance of the pig's head – it was the work of anti-fascists!

Update 2:  See "Pig's head dumped at Thurnby Lodge centre used for prayers by Muslims", Leicester Mercury, 28 December 2012

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Police have spent £200,000 supervising protests against plans to turn a disused Scout hut into a community centre. The cost of the operation in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, is rising daily as discussions continue to resolve the building's future.

Officers from city stations and as far afield as Hinckley and Coalville have had to be redeployed from their normal duties to oversee regular protests – occasionally lasting late into the night – against a plan by the Muslim group As-Salaam Trust to convert the Nursery Road building into a community centre.

The protests, which began early last month, have taken place outside the nearby community centre in Thurncourt Road, where members of As-Salaam have been meeting for the past two-and-a-half years.

Leicester Mercury, 10 September 2012

For previous coverage see here, here and here.

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An Islamic charity which plans to turn a former scout hut into a community centre has been told the city council is looking at "alternative premises".

Leicester City Council said if no site could be found for the As-salaam Trust then negotiations on the sale of the lease would resume.

About 200 people attended a demonstration at Thurnby Lodge last week to oppose the group's plans.

The As-salaam Trust said it was sad the community could not work together. It said its community centre aimed to provide food sharing services, drug and alcohol advice and education to make community life better for everyone.

Mohammed Lockhat, from the As-salaam Trust, said: "We are in discussions with the council. We are sad that we cannot work together as a community. We would love to, we've been trying to, and we are continuing to do so within our limits at the moment.

"The protests are supposed to be directed at the council, but on many occasions they haven't been. It has been quite intimidating for many of our members."

A spokesman for the council said the it was trying to resolve the situation as best it could taking into account all local concerns.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said the attendance of the British National Party at last Friday's demonstration "was very unwelcome indeed". He said: "They have no part in our local community... we don't need them to cause trouble.

Mr Soulsby said he met with local residents and members of the trust and told them officers would look at all of the options available before any agreements were made.

He said he would meet them again towards the end of September when officers have completed that work.

BBC News, 18 August 2012

See also "Protests spark rethink on Islamic prayer room plan", Leicester Mercury, 18 August 2012

For the background to the dispute see here and here.

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Last night's protest on Thurnby Lodge estate – spot the fascistA series of late-night protests have been staged against a faith group's plan to convert a disused Scout hut in Leicester into a community centre.

Dozens of police have been stationed in Thurnby Lodge estate for the past few nights to oversee the peaceful demonstrations, which at their height have attracted up to 150 people.

Residents said they were angry the former Scout hut in Nursery Road looked likely to become a community centre operated by Islamic charity the As-Salaam Trust.

They would like the building, which has been empty for several years, to be developed for the wider community. They are also concerned about extra traffic the centre might create.

Opponents have held their protests outside the estate's main community centre, in Thurncourt Road, where As-Salaam's members have been meeting for prayers for the past two-and-a-half years. They said the city council had not asked them for their views on the future use of the Scout hut. Some support a proposal to set up a boxing club in the building.

Maxine Williams, manager of the Stirrup Cup pub, has been taking part in the demonstrations. She said: "People are protesting because they feel that they have not been consulted and that the council has handed the keys to the Scout hut to As-Salaam. There is a lot of concern about the amount of traffic that it will bring and that people's peace will be shattered."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was due to meet a group of residents today. He said: "As-Salaam has been meeting in the area for some time and was looking for a permanent home. "If the people who are interested in opening a boxing club can establish themselves, we will help them find suitable premises. "However, our view was they were a long way from being in a position to take this building on."

Mohammed Lockhat, As-Salaam's imam, said: "If we could sit down together and talk, we would be able to understand each other better. "People have said they are concerned about traffic, but most of the people would be walking to the Scout hut because they live here."

The Scout Association told the city council in September last year that it wanted to end its lease of the hut. The council said it then contacted more than 100 community groups which had told it they were looking for premises.

Of the groups that expressed an interest, As Salaam was the only one that could meet the lease criteria agreed with the Scout Association, the council said in a leaflet which was delivered to homes on the estate last week.

A police spokeswoman said: "The police have a legal duty to facilitate a peaceful protest and have no powers to stop a demonstration."

Leicester Mercury, 8 August 2012

For further evidence of far right involvement in the protests, see Leicester Community Voice, 5 August 2012

See also "BNP stirs up resentment over Leicester Muslim centre", East Midlands Anti-fascists, 10 August 2012

And "Griffin parachutes into Thurnby Lodge", East Midlands Anti-fascists, 11 August 2012

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