Message from Bedfordshire Police, Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic following a meeting with Luton Council of Mosques representatives at Bury Park Masjid on Wednesday 14th August.
“The deplorable violence and thuggery which played out on the streets of towns and cities across the country last week has caused concern across all communities. I know that this has been deeply felt in Muslim communities due to the Islamophobic and racist nature of the violence and hateful messages circulating on-line.
Thankfully, we did not see any unrest in Luton or more widely in Bedfordshire. This is testament, in large part, to the strong relationships and cohesion we have here. On behalf of the police and all our partners I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who was involved in helping calm tensions and maintaining that unity across all communities, cultures and faiths.
We’re pleased to share that there is currently no information or intelligence to suggest there are any future planned gatherings in Bedfordshire.
It would be naive, however, to think we are immune from such issues, and we saw how quickly the unrest grew elsewhere, so it’s more important than ever to keep building relationships and report any issues, concerns or incidents of hate to police.
Thank you again for your continued support. We’re incredibly lucky to have such rich diversity in Bedfordshire and together we can make it clear that there is no place for hate, intolerance and those who seek to divide us.”
