Hawzah News Agency- The police have declared the vandalism of Muslim graves at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery in Hertfordshire (in the East of England) as a hate-driven crime centered on Islamophobia.
Asim Masud, 51, a member of the Friends of Carpenders Park Cemetery Association, strongly criticized the performance of Brent Municipality and the police. He stated: ''Not only has no practical action been taken to preserve and restore this cemetery, but police presence in the area is also alarmingly insufficient.'"
Brent Council said it would repair the damage as quickly as possible and the police said there had been extra patrols every day since the vandalism on 13 April.
Mr Masud said as well as his parents, other family members and friends were buried at the cemetery in Watford and he went there regularly.
During yesterday's visit to the cemetery, the condition of the damaged graves, which showed no change compared to last week, was deeply heartbreaking.
He said, ''Not only had no cleaning been done, but even the slightest respect was not shown to the graves. In my opinion, their manner of handling this is truly disgraceful.''
We were told by the police there would be more patrols in the area but that hasn't seemed to be happening. According to people who have been going, they haven't really seen any more police patrols.
Mr Masud added: "It is our responsibility to make sure we give them some kind of dignity in their rest''. But unfortunately I have had to clear up the graves to make it look a little bit more presentable – again, I am doing the job of Brent Council.
Muhammed Butt, the Labour leader of Brent Council, the site's owner, said it would reinstate the damaged name plaques and return the cemetery to a "peaceful, quiet place of remembrance as quickly as possible".
He stressed, ''That such an event took place in the Muslim children’s section makes the grief of the bereaved families and their loved ones far more profound.''
We in Brent Council continue to work closely with the police and we want to support the families affected to make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and also The council's team is at hand to support any family impacted.
Jon Simpson, Chief Superintendent of Hertfordshire Police, described this incident as a ''disturbing case''.
''We can confirm that increased patrols have been carried out at the cemetery every day since the graves were damaged and officers have been speaking with families to provide reassurance and advice'', he said.
We are also continuing our efforts to contact all those whose loved ones' graves have been affected by this crime.
Source: BBC
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