Members of the congregation of St Joseph’s church awoke earlier this week to rumours on WhatsApp of the damage spreading, along with other videos seen by GB News that appear to show attacks on Christians in London.
Panicked worshippers raced to the scene to find the pavement littered with smashed pieces of the statue, whose casing was later boarded up.
A furious member of the congregation, who spoke to GB News on condition of anonymity, said: “We had my Dad go and actually see what happened and he saw the pieces of Mother Mary on the floor. Right after I saw that, I initially thought to get this online.”
Inferring media bias, the congregant said: “I knew there wasn’t going to be news coverage on this.”
Asserting the destruction of the statue was “an attack”, the distressed worshipper said the congregation had been trying to ascertain both the identity and the motive of the culprit: “Either it’s a lone, crazy man who did this or someone who had a motive of hatred towards Christians.
“My family do get worried but nothing will stop us from attending church.”
Christians have spoken to GB News of their concerns of further attacks
GB NEWS
In a week in which Britain has been blighted by riots and community tensions, the congregant felt their church was reluctant to draw attention to the incident.
“The church doesn’t want a lot of eyeballs on this story, probably because of the negative side of that – more attacks or people pushing bad information about the church,” they said.
“But I wanted to push the message out that Christians are being attacked too. It’s not only about the church, it’s about the attack on Christians worldwide, everywhere. We feel fearful.”
In a scathing assessment of the institutions meant to uphold the peace, the worshipper added: “If the police actually did their job and protected all citizens, I think that would be positive.
“Our Prime Minister talks about how we should protect the Muslim community – using language that enrages half the community when actually he should be protecting the whole of the UK as our Prime Minister.”
Police forces have come under fire since riots broke out for what has been dubbed ‘two tier’ policing – where officers are accused of treating select communities differently.
This perception was exacerbated by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a speech where specifically named the Muslim community in a vow to protect them.
Panicked worshippers raced to the scene to find the pavement littered with smashed pieces of the statue
Sir Keir Starmer specifically named the Muslim community during the riots as he vowed to protect them
PA
At the same time, balaclava-clad men shocked onlookers as they marched down North End in Croydon and appeared to trash the streets
He said: “For the Muslim community I will take every step possible to keep you safe.
“Mosques being attacked because they’re mosques – the far right are showing who they are. We have to show who we are in response to that.
“The far right’s conduct is co-ordinated and deliberate. It is a group absolutely bent on violence and we will ensure it is met with the most robust response in the next few days and weeks.”
The Prime Minister then ordered that emergency security be made available to mosques across the country.
At the same time, shoppers fled Croydon’s high street as a mob of men rampaged for more than a mile through the centre of town chanting “Allahu Akbar”.
The men, clad in balaclavas, shocked onlookers as they marched down North End and appeared to trash the streets.
One disgusted local posted a video of the wreckage to TikTok and can be heard lamenting the disorder: “Why are they trashing the place?”
As one member of the mob threw objects into the road, the TikToker can be heard pleading with him to stop: “What is going on? Don’t do that, man. Don’t do that!”
Those involved clashed with police in a scene of widespread anti-social behaviour
X
The mob is believed to have been sparked by rumours that the ‘far-right’ were headed to protest at the town’s mosque.
When the expected protesters never arrived, clashes ensued between the men and attending cops.
The Metropolitan police said: “Approximately 50 people have gathered in North End Road, Croydon. They’ve made it clear their intention is to cause disruption and fuel disorder.
“They’ve dragged and thrown objects down the road and thrown bottles at officers. This is not linked to protest, this appears to be pure anti-social behaviour. Officers are moving in numbers to make arrests.”
Police later arrested eight people in connection with the disorder, posting that the disorder had finally come to an end after midnight.
The next day a sombre mood lingered over Croydon as locals spooked by the sectarian violence appeared too fearful to speak publicly about the night’s events.
Eventually one concerned admitted to having seen the chaos.
“Yeah, yeah I saw it”, he said. “But I’m not going to tell you about it though.”
One local in Croydon told GB News they fear more rioting
GB NEWS
Asked whether tensions would dissipate or fester, the man admitted: “It’s not nice to not be allowed to walk about or anything because you’re too scared of what’s going to happen. There’s been a lot of violence going on down here. “[The riots] are going to get worse. Of course, they are going to escalate. This here is a bad area, a very bad area.”
From one resident, in what first appeared as a joke, was a chilling admission of an atmosphere of intimidation. When asked what he would say to those committing sectarian violence, the man said: “You can’t approach anyone! They might stab me or something!”
One TikToker told GB News: “The police had information some people were coming to the mosque in West Croydon and also do some damage to the shops and restaurants.”
This account matches with that of an X user who posted a summary of the night’s events online: “Somebody claimed that some of the EDL (English Defence League) had arrived near North End. Some guys went down to see if they were there. They weren’t.
“Police arrived saying they had intelligence that some of the Muslims had weapons. They searched a guy, it turned into a scuffle.”
Croydon Mosque & Islamic Centre (MNIC) told GB News: “There was a plethora of social media posts, but we remained guided by the local authorities on the veracity of some of the claims being made. CMIC was in constant liaison with the local authorities including the police and we worked with them closely where necessary to de-escalate any potential community tensions.
“The local community were of course concerned, but remained vigilant and had faith in and were compliant with police advice. As a result, the evening passed-off trouble free.”
The church targeted in the destruction of the statue of the Virgin Mary said: “The Parish community as a whole is saddened by this mindless act. But we will utilise this opportunity to strengthen our faith. The parish office is in contact with necessary authorities and will take action as needed.”
Local Labour women’s officer Joyce De Souza said: “While this anti-social activity was done to target and hurt the community’s religious feelings, I appeal to the community to stay united at this difficult time. Let’s continue to believe in peace and at the same time be vigilant.”
Source Agencies
