British Indians in Nottingham and the Midlands unite to reject Labour

PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate release

BRITISH INDIAN FORUM (NOTTINGHAM)

14th November 2019

British Indians in Nottingham and the Midlands unite to reject Labour

We are a group of community activists scrutinising the candidates standing in the forthcoming general election on 12 December. We are British with Indian ancestry and we are not affiliated to any political party. Many thousands of the British Indian community are finding themselves in a position where they cannot support the Labour Party's racist approach, in particular the passing of a resolution at the recent conference which can only be described as anti-India.

Labour’s Nottingham candidates Nadia Whittome and Lilian Greenwood have both backed the Labour passed stance on Kashmir without understanding the full facts. We will be opposing Labour candidates in the constituencies of Nottingham East, Nottingham South and any other candidate who is taking an anti-India view.

The Indian community have been a friend to Labour for far too long. It is time for a change. We stand with the 100+ British organisations who challenge Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party's stance on the Kashmir issue. This attitude taken by Labour MP’s and parliamentary candidates in our city has demonised Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and other Indians in the international media.

We have seen various cases where people have been emboldened to attack Indians. Indian origin citizens have been abused in public, such as incidents in Birmingham. Effigies of the Indian Prime Minster have been burnt and there were violent demonstrations in London at the Indian High Commission, which was vandalised. There was also a demonstration timed to coincide with the festival of Diwali, which we feel was extremely distasteful.

These attacks are against the most peaceful community in the UK. Hindus and Sikhs for example have the lowest percentage of population in jail. We feel tensions have been inflamed and communities divided by the mindless, senseless comments from Labour politicians which have incited racial hatred against our community, that is now being forced to act.

Pawan Joshi, spokesperson for British Indian Forum says "The anti-India stance by Labour alienates the Indian Community, we have been forced to act".

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