Predicting a riot in Hounslow almost caused one

The police were getting ready for far-right demonstrations in 100 locations, we were told. Hounslow, a west London suburb, has a decent mix of Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikhs but we have never had any serious race relations trouble. This changed at 3 p.m when Hounslow’s high street became a ghost town. Panicked police officers asked shops to close down, with their shutters up, preparing for an onslaught. Locals were baffled. From whom? Where? Why us?

The Hounslow Muslim Centre, a mosque, is close to the high street and word soon got out that this could be a target. Before too long there were two to three dozen people surrounding the mosque entrance, as if forming a human shield around it. It was peaceful; they had no weapons. It seemed to be a spontaneous, even baffled response to the idea that a mosque could find itself under attack in a place like Hounslow.