{UAH} Leamington Spa Sikh temple protest: Fifty-five arrested

Police are at the Gurdwara Sahib temple in Leamington

Fifty-five people have been arrested after an eight-hour protest at a
temple in a row over mixed marriages.

Police said a group of men, some carrying weapons many of which were
ceremonial knives, entered the Gurdwara Sahib in Leamington Spa at
06:45 BST.

Former treasurer Jatinder Singh Birdi said a marriage between a Sikh
and non-Sikh had been due to take place.

A group called Sikh Youth UK said it had staged a "peaceful protest".

'Lack of respect'
Mr Birdi said: "There have been tensions that have been going on for a
couple of years with some people objecting to mixed marriages in
taking place in the gurdwara.

"The general consensus is people are respectful of mixed marriages if
the traditions are respected.

"Nothing has happened on this level before.

"This is meant to be one of the happiest moments of somebody's life -
it shows a lack of respect."

'Act of faith'
A statement from Sikh Youth UK said the protest was carried out in
"objection to an interfaith marriage that was to be carried out as a
Sikh marriage at Leamington Gurdwara".

The group said that in 2015 a consensus had been reached that a Sikh
place of worship would "no longer offer a Sikh marriage for an
interfaith couple".

It said: "Local Sikh youth attended the early morning prayers at the
Gurdwara and began a sit-down peaceful protest by reciting prayers."

Mixed marriages taking place at Sikh temples in the UK have been
disrupted by protesters in the past.

The Sikh Council has argued that the marriage ceremony, known as Anand
Karaj, should be reserved only for Sikhs. Last year it also called for
a halt to protests.

Supt David Gardner said the protest came from "the escalation of a
local dispute". He said a "significant number of bladed weapons" were
seized, but no injuries were reported.

"Over the coming days we will be working with the local Sikh community
to address some of the ongoing issues that have culminated in today's
events," he added.

A force spokesman said several of the weapons seized were kirpans,
ceremonial daggers that are carried by Sikhs as an act of faith.

Officers remain inside the temple on Tachbrook Drive and a police
cordon is in place outside.

Meanwhile, the group Sikh 2 Inspire said in a statement on their
Facebook page that sending armed police in response to "peaceful
protestors" showed how the kirpans were misunderstood and the Sikh
faith was being "victimised".

"They don't have have an appropriate understanding of the Sikh
community and have not found appropriate representatives from the Sikh
community to balance the malicious viewpoints presented," they said.

Correction 12 September 2016: An earlier version of this story
incorrectly stated that the group Sikh 2 Inspire was involved in
organising the protest.

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