UK Teenagers Smash Up Gurdwara Building During Violent Rampage

KENT, UK : A group of teenage vandals filmed themselves smashing up the inside of a Sikh temple and then gloated about their mindless destruction on social media. The yobs targeted the Gurdwara in Gravesend, Kent, yesterday evening – wrecking glass cabinets, throwing plates at walls and hurling sacred Sikh symbols in a show of shocking disrespect.
Footage of the youngsters, believed to be from local schools, has been viewed over 67,000 times since it was posted on Facebook with many calling for violent retribution.The rampage was first posted on Snapchat by one of the group and shows the thugs bragging about their handiwork with captions saying ‘temple got mash up’ and ‘Lool no chill’. It is not known how old the group of boys are but rumours on social media have suggested that a number of them are part of Charlton Athletic’s youth team set up.However, this has not been confirmed by the club.The youngsters, some of whom are wearing hooded tops with their faces covered, run around with poles during their rampage and one can be seen hurling a metal Khanda – the sacred symbol of Sikhism.Gravesend has a high Sikh population with Sikhism the second largest religion in the town after Christianity, according to a 2015 census.The Gurdwara attacked by the youths has been closed for around five years, but is still seen as a sacred place to be respected and protected by the community.The shocking footage has been shared over 1,250 times since it was posted by Sam Cheema – who did not capture the footage himself, but filmed the clip after it was posted on his Snapchat storyline.Infuriating both members of the Sikh community and those of other faiths, around 1,100 people have shared their views on the shocking act – with many people threatening violence to the perpetrators.