1 held for Edinburgh gurdwara attack
LONDON: One person was arrested on Wednesday for the petrol bomb attack on Guru Nanak Gurdwara Sahib in Edinburgh, while Scotland first minister Nicola Sturgeon led condemnation for the “suspicious fire” in the gurdwara established in 1964.
The building at Leith was extensively damaged but there were no injuries. Guru Granth Sahib was also not damaged, reports from Edinburgh said, as MPs and others urged the Theresa May government to include hate crime against Sikhs in its action plan. Scotland police did not name the man arrested but said he was 49. Sturgeon, who heads the Scottish National Party government in Scotland, called the attack “appalling”.
Bhai Narinderjit Singh of the Sikh Federation, UK, said: “This is not the first arson attack on a gurdwara. They often come in the aftermath of a terror attack and in what has popularly become known as ‘mistaken identity’ as Sikhs have never been involved in terror attacks.”
“The hate crime action plan, published in July 2016, was issued jointly by the then home secretary, Amber Rudd, and the then communities’ secretary, Sajid Javid, who overlooked the existence of the Sikh community and hate crimes we have faced.”
He said: “We have had excuse after excuse by the Conservative government for the oversight and had been promised an updated plan. We are still waiting. In the meantime, Sikhs and our religious institutions continue to be attacked.” Ravjeet Singh of the Sikh Council, UK, said it was the second attack on the gurdwara this year.
Susan Brown, the moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “It’s sad that a place of worship should be the target. I am glad no one was injured and extend my sympathy to the Sikh community in Edinburgh. There is no room for intolerance.”