London riots: Armed Sikhs protect Gurudwara

London: Over 700 Sikhs, armed with hockey sticks, took to the streets to protect the Guru Singh Sabha gurdwara in Southall as the police in the UK stretched to maintain law and order in London. Local vigilante groups, have been formed in various areas in London to protect homes and business establishments that have been vandalised by rioters - mainly of Afro-Caribbean origin - in London over the past four days. [caption id=“attachment_58000” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Sikh men gathered outside the Sri Guru Singh Sabha temple in Southall, south London, in an effort to protect the area from looters. AFP”] [/caption] Southall in west London has a large Indian origin population, which rallied together when apprehending violence. Amarjit Singh Klair from nearby Hounslow, who helped rally the men said, “We are working along side the police, they’re doing what they can but they are stretched. Why shouldn’t we defend our homes, businesses and places of worship? This is our area. There’s lots of talk about it kicking off here. But we’re ready for them.” Groups of Sikh men stood guard at different parts of the town, keeping in touch via their mobiles. An unnamed man reportedly said, “They caught us off guard last night but we still managed to get people together to protect the area.” PTI