A self-styled vigilante group dressed in black recently filmed themselves confronting Indian students and telling them they were not welcome in a public park at night, Metro reported. The group calls itself the “Chelmsley Wood Patriots”. The footage went viral and sparked concerns among the community members. Local authorities are now reviewing it.
What did the group do?
According to the media outlet, the incident unfolded in the West Midlands when the group carried out a late-night patrol. They walked inside their local park, called Meriden Park, claiming that they were ‘protecting women and children’.
Video footage shared online showed members of the group approaching people based on their appearance, recording them, and attempting to clear them from public grounds.
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The group then targeted international students who were reportedly spending time outdoors. The vigilante group argued that public parks after dark should be reserved exclusively for families and children.
The video showed one of the men asking, “What made you come to England?”. The student replied, “No, we are usually in Birmingham; we just moved here today.”
“England, I came to do my Master’s; I’ve been here for two years now,” the man added
After that, one from the vigilante group gave them “a final warning”, asking him to stay away from the public space.
“What you need to do is stay away from a children’s park. Do not come round here again. Do not be seen here again. This is your final warning. You will not get a warning again; stay away, stay away! Go back to your house, yeah and stay away. Take yourself back to where you f****g live then, yeah. Back to the HMO, go home, go home.”
The video was later deleted. But it was shared on other platforms as well. The circulating footage quickly sparked widespread criticism online, with critics slamming the group for taking policing into their own hands.
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Police react to the incident
According to BirminghamLive, the police have now responded to the incident in Meriden Park. “We are aware of a group operating in the Chelmsley Wood area,” Insp Jenny Willetts, from Solihull Police, told the media outlet.
“We’re also aware of a video on social media showing a group of men being stopped in Meriden Park.”
“Stop and search powers belong exclusively to the police acting under specific statutory legislation such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.”
“We do not endorse, condone or encourage its activities and do not work with its members.
“Keeping people in our local communities safe is our priority, and we will take appropriate action when a crime is reported to us.
“Anyone who has any concerns can contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.”
Target based on colour?
“These young men were doing nothing wrong,” Former councillor and community activist Shesh Sheshabhatter said, as quoted.
“Students are allowed to meet and walk outside, and they have every right to do so. We can see no reason they were targeted other than the colour of their skin.”
“Nobody should be treated differently because of their skin or their accent.”
