Middlesbrough worshippers told not to go to mosque over fears of disorder
Watch Kris Jepson's report from Middlesbrough, where on mosque has told its worshippers not to attend this weekend as a precaution over disorder fears.
As violence broke out in Sunderland on Friday, Muslims in Middlesbrough have been urged not to go to their mosque over the weekend, amid reports of potential protests in the town.
Haji Jaber, secretary of the Islamic Society of Cleveland, told ITV Tyne Tees he was grateful to police for the advice they have provided and assured people the mosque was safe.
He said: “We advise all our worshippers not to come to the mosque. That’s the advice we’ve been given by the police. We are advising everyone not to get confrontational. If you have any problems report it to the police. Don’t worry about the actual mosques. We will take care of ourselves.
“We have already contacted the police, we have no problems.”
He added: “It’s affecting everyone a lot. The biggest thing is that people are really upset that it’s took such a tragic event and people are taking it completely out of context.
“Such a tragic event; whoever has done this – it doesn’t matter what religion – they’ve done something that is very, very wrong. No religion condones it.”
It follows disorder in a number of places across the country this week, including Hartlepool.
A total of 16 people have now been arrested following the events of Wednesday 31 July, with seven people appearing in court on Friday 2 August.
There was further unrest in London, Manchester and Aldershot on Wednesday night and the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced a new national cross-police force unit to tackle violent disorder.
With some of the rioters in Hartlepool chanting in support of Far Right activist, Tommy Robinson and shouting insults about Islam, leading expert on right-wing extremism, Professor Matthew Feldman, called for urgent action to address the "tsunami of lies" on social media fueling protests across the UK.
He told ITV News Tyne Tees: "There's been a number of these street type movements, but very few have been mobilised so quickly through disinformation online that's led to the kind of disorder on the streets we've seen so horrifically over the last couple of days. So that does seem new and it does seem like something that's not going away until we can really come up with the tools to counter it."
Mosques across the country are strengthening their security and protective measures ahead of planned protests.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said it understands protests are planned for towns and cities across the UK, including Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
The Home Office is offering support to Cleveland Police in helping prepare for further potential disorder, saying violence will not be tolerated.
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey, said: “The scenes of violence and disorder across the country this week were completely unacceptable.
“With reports of local planned activity over the weekend, I would like to remind communities that there is no place for criminality on our streets.
“I fully support Cleveland Police taking action against those intent on violence, causing disorder and spreading hate and division in our towns.
“I am assured that Cleveland Police has worked closely with partners to ensure there are appropriate plans in place to keep all communities safe over the coming days.
“Our diversity and the variety of communities who live side by side in Cleveland is one of our greatest strengths. We must come together in that spirit now and show collectively that we reject violence and hate in all its forms.”
Durham Police said it had well-established plans in place to react to any incident of violent disorder.
They added: “While we will always uphold the right to peaceful protest, Durham Constabulary’s first duty is to keep the public safe and protect all of our communities.”
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