Met Police Commisioner to Visit Dasmesh Darbar

[amorphous_singh]

The Metropolitian Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair will visit Dasmesh Darbar Gurdwara, Roseberry Ave. in East London tomorrow, Friday 15th July at 2pm.

He will be there to reassure the Sikh community in full view of the media. This is a direct consequence of the recent meeting held with the Met. Police by Sikhs and continued pressure from Sikh organisations.

After his address to the sangat he will be handed a written record of the Sikh community's concerns.

If you can make it please try and attend.

Please inform other people to attend; a god presence is essential.

[amorphous_singh]

Details on how to get to Dasmesh Darbar via public transport; courtesy of Harjinder Singh Khalsa:

"it's an easy walk from East Ham station (Sibley Grove, Browning Rd, Roseberry Ave) and if you come by train from Liverpool St or Stratfield, get off at Manor Park and go down Station Rd and the East Ham High Street and after about 10 minutes walk turn left into Roseberry Ave."

Please do try and attend - this media visibility is important.

Sikhs met with the Met. Police after the Sikh Lobby Day at New Scotland Yard and expressed our concerns. This is a welcome response from the Met. Police.

[amorphous_singh]

Please inform other people to attend; a god presence is essential.

109019[/snapback]

Oh thats a Freudian slip if ever I made one. I meant a good presence :-)

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Please inform other people to attend; a god presence is essential.

109019[/snapback]

Oh thats a Freudian slip if ever I made one. I meant a good presence :-)

109024[/snapback]

Have learnt a funeral is taking place around the same time, so will be quite a few Sikhs present anyway.

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Photos on Yahoo (see Yahoo for short captions provided byAP).

BBC, Sky, Geo TV and press agencies were all present.

[amorphous_singh]

Erm here's one we took (with the aid of a hastly purchased disposable camera - due to technical difficulties with the digi one - ie we left it at home :-)

[amorphous_singh]

[amorphous_singh]

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

BBC News - Met appeals to London Muslims

(Sikhs mentioned at the end)

The UK's Muslim community must help London's police in the fight against terrorism, the Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has said.

Speaking at a the Minhaj-ul-Quran Mosque in Forest Gate, East London, he appealed to worshippers: "I need you".

"We have got nearly 1m Muslims in London, 1.6 in the UK," he said.

"We've only got 300 Muslim police officers in London - that's not good enough. I need your mothers, fathers, sons and daughters."

"We must seize this moment, this weekend, next week.

"We have to seize a moment in which the Muslim community in Britain changes from your position of shock and disbelief into active engagement in counter-terrorism."

The attacks were not anything to do with Islam, he said, but were done in the name of Islam "and that puts the responsibility on all of us".

This is the worst nightmare that can happen to the British Muslim community

Sir Ian Blair

"There's nothing wrong with being a fundamentalist Muslim, Jew or Christian, the key issue is the slide into extremism," he said.

He compared the "perversion of the virtues of Islam" behind the London "atrocities" to anti-abortionists in America who shoot doctors.

"For you I know this is the worst nightmare that can happen to the British Muslim community," he said.

"But the police service is engaged with your leaders to reach out to you."

It was not the police or intelligence services that would defeat terrorism, he said, but communities.

Police limits

On taking office earlier this year, he said he changed the Met Police logo to "Working together for a safer London" because the police and community could only succeed together.

We have had numerous reports of race hate crimes targeting Sikh taxi drivers, bus drivers and even Tube workers

Jagtar Singh

Sikh Federation (UK)

That was borne out in the past when police began to work with the Afro-Caribbean community to solve Yardie murders.

"You cannot let the men of violence win," he told them.

"We know only four people did this. I can't prevent four people attacking a tube system that carries 3m people a day.

"I can't do it - you might be able to do it; collectively London can do it because we are the most diverse city on the planet."

Sir Blair went on to visit a Sikh temple in Manor Park, also in East London, were he was told of the community's concerns following the London attacks.

'Race hate crimes'

Jagtar Singh, of the political party Sikh Federation (UK), said: "Sir Ian spoke to us to give us reassurance following the attacks on Sikhs after last Thursday's terrorist attacks."

Mr Singh said Sikhs were "the largest and most visible" ethnic minority in London, which put them "at the greatest risk of race hate crimes".

At the meeting he presented Sir Ian with a memorandum outlining the concerns of the Sikh community in the UK.

Mr Singh said attacks against Sikhs were "spreading and increasing in seriousness", including a knife attack reported in Ireland.

"We have had numerous reports of race hate crimes targeting Sikh taxi drivers, bus drivers and even tube workers that interact with the public in providing essential services," he said.

He added that Sir Ian was also presented with a 'kirpan', a 3ft sword symbolising justice.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/4686519.stm

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

Mayor and police chief invite public confidence

Tuesday 19 July 2005

Newham’s Mayor Sir Robin Wales accompanied Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair on visits to meet Muslim and Sikh faith leaders and worshippers in Forest Gate and Manor Park on Friday.

The visits took place at the Minhaj-ul-Quran mosque in Romford Road and the Gurdwara Dasmesh Darbar temple in Rosebery Avenue.

They were part of a series of visits the Commissioner made to places of worship of different faith groups across the capital to reassure people and increase public confidence in the wake of the central London bombings last week.

Sir Robin said: “We all share the outrage at the terrorist attacks. Newham is a community with a strong cultural diversity and we respect the life and dignity of all peoples. We must stand united against anyone that would seek to exact revenge or reprisal against innocent people.

“Newham Council wants all members of our community to be reassured that harassment of any form will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with the police and other partner agencies to bring confidence, particularly in communities where people may feel vulnerable at this time.”