Kent Police says it will respond swiftly and robustly if any disorder occurs in the county. Mahima Abiden reports.
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00:00Frustrated and sad is how members of a mosque in Medway are feeling after violent protests
00:05and riots in other parts of the UK. This comes after misinformation was spread online about
00:10the recent Southport attacks where three young girls were stabbed and lost their lives.
00:15While police are out in full force, the Prime Minister says criminal justice will be ramped
00:19up and is offering mosques greater protection. But here in Gillingham, some say it just isn't
00:24enough.
00:25We've experienced some hate towards us. Individually as well. Verbally. From time to time you can
00:34hear people commenting or saying different things. I think it's a sad situation. I think
00:39this is something that should have been dealt with a long time ago. I think it's years of
00:44neglecting or brushing aside Islamophobia. Yeah, I think naturally when you see these
00:50things happen across the country you do feel a little bit unsafe. None of our activities
00:55at the mosque have stopped. We continue to pray, we continue to come for congregation
01:00and do our activities. However, we have to be vigilant, we have to be careful and we
01:05have to be watchful because you never know. You never know what's going to happen.
01:12While mosques across the country are being granted extra safety measures, this mosque
01:16has had CCTV cameras installed from when it first opened. But despite this, its leaders
01:21say they still feel unsettled. This introduction of emergency security means mosques can now
01:27ask for rapid responses, something Kent Community Group support.
01:31An attack on any place of worship, be it a church, be it a gurdwara, be it a mandir,
01:36be it a mosque, is just totally unacceptable. This is Great Britain 2024. We should not
01:42be in a situation where people, whichever faith, be it majority faith or minority faith,
01:47should be scared of going to their place of worship. So to see what's been happening in
01:51some of the northern towns, it is greatly upsetting and it is an issue of concern here
01:55in Kent as well. And that's why I think it's important that we get the right message out
02:01there and we support the police, we support our faith organisations, we support local
02:06businesses to ensure that what's happening in other parts of the country doesn't happen
02:11here.
02:12In a statement from Kent Police, a spokesperson said they are well prepared to respond swiftly
02:15and robustly to any incidents of disorder that may arise. The force is also engaging
02:20with communities to provide ongoing reassurance.
02:23These new measures are set to come into action across the country by this weekend. But in
02:27the meantime, both community and political leaders are reassuring the public that those
02:31who have acted violently will face the full force of the law.
02:34Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Gillingham.