GROUPS of angry Asian youths gathered outside a Birmingham cemetery yesterday after 45 Muslim gravestones were smashed two weeks after race riots left one man dead.
Leaflets from a group calling itself "Black Nation" were left at the graves with the message: "Death to all Muslim rapists. May all your dead rot in hell. Black Nation."
The desecration comes after Asian and black youths fought running battles in the Lozells area of Birmingham. Trouble started after a rumour spread that a 14-year-old black girl had been raped by a gang of Asians. Some of the youths said yesterday that the destruction of the gravestones would lead to trouble. One said: "It is disgusting what has happened. We will not let it rest."
But Blink, a black news website, and the police said that they had never heard of Black Nation and that the attack could have been the work of the far Right, trying to provoke violence between AfricanCaribbean and Asian youths. When asked if he had heard of Black Nation, Superintendent Tom Coughlin, from West Midlands Police, said: "That name means nothing to me at all."
He said that officers would be investigating whether it was the work of another group trying to start trouble between the black and Asian community.
The destruction was discovered as the Muslim community celebrated the festival of Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Perry Barr, said: "These are disgraceful events, deliberately done to entice people. They are definitely trying to cause more problems, particularly on this day when Muslim people are coming to pay their respects."
Sukail Sidiq, 31, an NHS practice manager from Stechford, discovered the destroyed graves and alerted the authorities. He said: "I saw graves pushed over and smashed. Whoever did this must be sick. Ive heard that the Johnson gang and the Burger Bar Boys have made it up with the Asian community, so I do not think they did this."
A police spokeswoman said: "This is being treated as racially aggravated criminal damage and police have cleared away leaflets found at the scene containing racially offensive material. We believe this is the activity of a few individuals and are urging people not to retaliate."