Statements from leaders at a time of global unrest

We write to thank you for your continued leadership and support to communities against a backdrop of global instability, threatening political rhetoric and online threats which will be causing great concern to our residents.

We know that world events have real impact locally with many residents personally impacted with loved ones and friends living or visiting countries that are affected.

We also know that such events can increase tension and hate crimes both in our communities and online.

There is absolutely no place for Islamophobia, antisemitism or any other form of faith and racially based hate.

We want all communities to feel assured and to feel safe and have increased police patrols across key locations to provide visibility, accessibility and reassurance to all our communities. In addition, we have met and discussed these matters with local community leaders and are always available to talk.

This will continue over the coming weeks, and all our local community teams remain absolutely committed to being visible in your areas to support and engage with you. Please do speak to those officers or report any concerns to those officers or report online, via 101 or via 999 in an emergency. We are also about to introduce a Stop Hate third party service for reporting hate crime – more details will be shared soon.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such strong communities and relationships across Bedfordshire to help maintain cohesion during such times.

The leadership across all our faith groups and the vital contribution they make to ensure we stand together in the face of division and turmoil is what makes Bedfordshire so special, and we continue to reinforce our message that there is no place for hate in Bedfordshire.

Please do continue to support each other as we stand together with our communities and together for Bedfordshire throughout this difficult time.

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst KPM

Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard

I am writing to express my thanks for your continued leadership and support to Luton communities at this time of international instability and rising tensions.

Understandably, at times like these, we know emotions may run high locally and reaction to international events of such magnitude is to be expected. This means it is even more important that we continue to stand together to defend our shared values as a town. What is happening in another part of the world does not justify any form of discrimination or hatred aimed at anyone in our community. Luton will never be a place for any form of faith-based or racially motivated hate, or indeed any other form of hate. It must be a place where everyone in should feel safe, supported and heard, and where we continually work together to protect and build community cohesion.

As you all are aware, the council is working closely with Bedfordshire Police and community partners to monitor the situation locally and provide reassurance. Our partnership and engagement with community and faith leaders is the foundation of our strength as a community. We all recognise your leadership in this space and the vital role you play in bringing people together helps ensure we remain united, respectful and resilient during difficult times.

Thank you for your continued support to the town’s communities.

Hazel Simmons MBE

Leader Luton Council

This is a time when many of our community members are carrying profound grief, fear and exhaustion — not only from the weight of global events, but from the very real experience of living as a racialised and faith minority community in Britain today.

We welcome the commitments made by Bedfordshire Police and Luton Council to the safety of all residents. We also take this moment to be clear: Islamophobia is not simply a matter of individual prejudice. It is a structural reality that shapes how our community members are perceived, treated and made to feel in public spaces, institutions and online. This reality exists long before any world event brings it into sharper focus. Anti-racism means naming and actively challenging those structures, not only responding to their most visible flashpoints.

Our faith affirms the dignity of every human being without exception. It calls us not merely to avoid harm, but to actively pursue justice, for ourselves and for others. We stand in full solidarity with all communities targeted by racism and hatred. We recognise that Islamophobia, anti-blackness, antisemitism and all other forms of racism - while distinct in how they operate and who they target - share the same root in systems that dehumanise people. They must be challenged together.

We will not allow our grief for those suffering elsewhere in the world to be weaponised to paint our community as a threat. Nor will we allow it to pass without honest acknowledgment: when communities are hurting, visible and vocal institutional support is not optional; it is essential.

To our own community, we say: your anger is legitimate. Your grief is valid. And your dignity is non-negotiable. We encourage every member of our community to report hate incidents, to lean on one another, and to know that our mosques and local institutions stand as spaces of sanctuary, solidarity and strength.

Luton is our home. We are not guests here asking for tolerance. We are neighbours, citizens and partners demanding the equity and justice that everyone in this town deserves.

Luton Council of Mosques        Luton Sunni Council of Mosques