Sir Peter Soulsby said the review, due to be completed within weeks, would examine whether extremist groups and outside organizations encouraged the unrest on Saturday and Sunday. “We need to understand what happened, why it happened and whether it was motivated by extreme ideologies imported from elsewhere. We need to find out what we can do to intervene to make sure it doesn’t happen in the future,” Soulsby said. The weekend unrest in Leicester was the culmination of several weeks of rising tension between sections of the city’s Hindu and Muslim communities. A demonstration was held on Sunday in response to an unscheduled protest march in the city by Hindus on Saturday. It has been widely reported that tensions rose after a cricket match between India and Pakistan in late August. The fevered atmosphere was exacerbated by videos released online over the weekend showing a man taking down a flag outside a Hindu temple in Leicester’s Melton Road, and another video of a flag burning. Nationalist Hindu organizations and Islamist groups have been accused of stoking tensions online. Others claimed that nationalist Hindu supporters were among the gangs roaming the city, a claim that has been denied by some youths. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A total of 47 people have been arrested, 20 over the weekend. Some have been convicted of gun possession. The clashes have shocked many residents in Leicester, which has built a reputation as a harmonious city after decades of waves of immigration. The review is expected to examine whether much of the problem involved foreigners. Eight of the 18 people arrested on Sunday were not from Leicestershire. The Guardian revealed that five were from Birmingham, while one from Solihull, one from Luton and one gave an address in Hounslow. The idea of an interagency review was raised Wednesday night at a meeting between members of the local community, police and council, Soulsby said. “We will be looking at our local universities for someone to conduct the review, but the actual format and remit are yet to be finalised,” he said.
