Sussex Police are investigating an anti-Muslim hate crime after a pig’s trotter was tied to the door of a proposed community centre.
One disgusted local attached flowers and a “welcome to your new home” card to the door in response.
The proposal is not for a mosque but for a community centre.
Locals created a crowdfunding page earlier this year. Part of the campaign pitch read: “Men, Women, Children, the young and the old… can all join together in creating a united community and nurturing harmony between Muslims and the wider community”.
Shahadat Ali, who sent in the application, said that locals had to rent a clubhouse for 15 years for Friday prayers, and they needed something more permanent.
Nor will they let this crime affect their positive relations with the wider community.
Anti-Muslim Twitter accounts welcomed the news. One individual shared the Argus story, adding a ‘ban Islam’ hashtag. On Facebook, some accounts reacted with broad anti-Muslim statements, comparing their faith to a violent satanic cult.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police told the Argus newspaper: “the unpleasant and offensive incident is being treated as a hate crime and local enquiries are being carried out”.
The targeting of Muslims with pork products is nothing new.
Members of the public are urged to contact 101 with any information.