Fifteen arrested in Leicester disorder operation

Fifteen people have been arrested in an operation to "deter further disorder" in Leicester.

There was large-scale unrest on Saturday amid tensions involving mainly young men from sections of the Muslim and Hindu communities.

Police said it had been sparked by an "unplanned protest". Another protest involving about 100 people followed on Sunday.

Leicestershire Police said there had been no further disorder overnight.

The force added that all 15 people arrested on Sunday remained in custody.

Leicester's elected mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, said he and community leaders were "baffled" by the events, saying they had been "fanned by some very distorted social media" and "a lot of people who came in from outside".

During Sunday's protest people congregated on Belgrave Road, with members of the crowd telling the BBC they were on the streets as a result of the recent unrest.

Officers closed the road and some of the crowd briefly tried to push through police lines, complaining they were being prevented from marching.

Later, the protesters walked along Green Lane Road, in the North Evington area, followed by officers.

There was also a police presence on Humberstone Road, with several nearby streets closed off.

The force said in a statement: "Officers became aware of groups of young men gathering on Sunday afternoon in the North Evington area of the city.

"Officers spoke to them and took steps, including putting in place a temporary police cordon, to minimise harm and disturbance to communities."

Police had said they wanted to avoid a repeat of Saturday night's confrontations, and that dispersal powers would be used to break up any further gatherings.

The force has also issued a warning about misinformation and rumours, and urged people to be careful about what they shared on social media.

Sir Peter said: "It got fanned by some very distorted social media. And then fuelled by a lot of people who came in from outside as well as some young local lads who seemed to feel it was appropriate to frighten and disturb this peaceful city.

"I've seen a selection of the social media which is very, very distorted - some of it completely lying - about what had been happening between different communities.

"I also know there was also a concerted attempt on Saturday to bring people from as far as Birmingham, to ship them across to have a bit of a 'set-to' in Leicester.

"All of those things taken together seem to have escalated the celebration of a cricket match into something that for the city is very disturbing indeed.

"I don't want to minimise the impact but there is no obvious local cause for this at all."

He also paid tribute to police for "stamping on it quickly".

Mr Soulsby added he and community leaders were "confident Leicester is resilient enough to be able to return to normal relations very soon".

Community leaders in the city have called for "peace and engagement".

Sanjiv Patel, who represents Hindu and Jain temples across Leicester, said he was deeply saddened and shocked by the recent disturbances.

He said: "We are horrified and deplore what was going on [on Saturday] and across the last two weeks.

"Across the Hindu and Jain community and with our Muslim brothers and sisters and leaders we are consistently saying 'calm minds, calm heads'."

He added: "Violence is not a solution to anything. This has to be a time for peace, calm and engagement."

Suleman Nagdi, of the Leicester-based Federation of Muslim Organisations, told the BBC: "What we have seen on the streets is very alarming.

"There have been problems in the community since the India and Pakistan cricket match and while that game often sparks gatherings they have not in the past turned this ugly.

"We need calm - the disorder has to stop and it has to stop now. There are some very dissatisfied young men who have been causing havoc.

"We need to get the message out that this must end and try to do this through parents and grandparents talking to their sons."

Two men were arrested after Saturday's disorder - one on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and another on suspicion of possession of a bladed article.

They remain in custody.

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