UP to 20 Muslim graves have been vandalised in a racially motivated attack at a south Manchester cemetery.
Vandals struck at the Southern Cemetery on Barlow Moor Road sometime overnight on Thursday.
Staff arrived at the cemetery to find up to 20 gravestones had been deliberately pushed over, and a number had broken.
The attack is being treated as racially motivated as only Muslim graves were targeted.
Det Con Rob Southern said: "This is the worst sort of vandalism imaginable. The graves of your loved ones should be a place where they can rest peacefully and that is absolutely sacrosanct.
"The families of those whose graves have been vandalised will be rightly traumatised and deeply upset. If we do catch the people who committed these atrocious acts, then they should be made to see the grief and pain they have caused.
"Sadly, we are treating this as a hate crime as only the Muslim section of gravestones were attacked. This sort of mindless, racist behaviour must be utterly condemned and I'm sure the whole community will be outraged.
"That is why it is so important we find the culprits. Please, if you do know who was responsible then call us because this is a very serious crime and the families who have suffered such indignity deserve justice."
Greater Manchester Police are asking anyone with information to call 0161 856 6151 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Muslim graves targeted in hate attack
October 02, 2009
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Local lad, outsidethebox (02/10/2009 at 16:26)
sparkie, Salford (02/10/2009 at 16:27)
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (02/10/2009 at 16:33)
Black Flag (02/10/2009 at 16:35)
No it isn't. No decent human being would view desecrating a grave as being comparable with somebody taking part in a protest.
Esso Blue, Manchester (02/10/2009 at 16:45)
As far as I know the muslim graves are in their own section near the road and are not mixed with the other faiths. They wont get any luck for doing it anyway.
Local lad, outsidethebox (02/10/2009 at 16:47)
Nobody in their right mind would stand on the streets in front of soldiers protesting about their mates who have been killed trying to help others to have freedom.I find the protest a few months ago an insult to our young lads dying trying to help others,so yes it is the same thing a "total insult".And i dont condone anybody destroying graves whoever they are.Muslem,jewish,indian ,they were all somebodies family.
CorneredAllTheLuck, Tameside (02/10/2009 at 16:55)
Black Flag (02/10/2009 at 16:55)
f c (02/10/2009 at 17:42)
neil sk6 (02/10/2009 at 17:48)
But why is it being classed as "a racist atack" do the police know who did this crime? If not it could have been the local muslim youths doing it!!! People are to quick to say its racist these days.
f c (02/10/2009 at 17:50)
Guten Tag, Manchester (02/10/2009 at 17:54)
Theowolfe (02/10/2009 at 18:01)
It may be a total coincidence. Whatever happened to 'We are keeping an open mind' policing?
Esso Blue, Manchester (02/10/2009 at 18:06)
PW, Manchester (02/10/2009 at 20:08)
Denny Gill (02/10/2009 at 21:27)
bob south (03/10/2009 at 11:51)
Damaging any grave is sick, targeting a particular religion or race is unforgivable. Stop wining about how quick the press are to jump on the racist bandwagon, and encourage those who know who is responsible for this crime to come forward.
Rob Wilson (03/10/2009 at 12:15)
neil sk6 (03/10/2009 at 15:25)
J smith (03/10/2009 at 21:04)
When you die you buried in a christian area, jewish area or a Muslim area
Does that mean when you go to the place you believe your going to go do you have to make sure you do not join the wrong queue. Eternity is a very long time (unless you believe in re-incarnation).
its sad that even when people die there is still some form of segregation.
David, North M/C (04/10/2009 at 01:39)
Free Red, Manchester (04/10/2009 at 02:02)
uss midway, Holstein Ostsee. (04/10/2009 at 19:19)
Andy., Bury (05/10/2009 at 09:19)
salfordrat (05/10/2009 at 09:27)
Free Red, Manchester
What I can't understand is the moron who is too dumb to realise that in a case like this it doesn't matter. Does Free Red think that the vermin who did this are intellectually capable of making the distinction between race and religeon? Does he think they would care if they had the brain cells to do so anyway? The fact is, in the minds of those who did this, it is almost certain that their first instict was colour based rather than religeon.
As for the usual suspects here who suggest that it may have been nothing to do with race or religeon, but is just media hype (and one mollusc who suggested it may even have been muslim kids) well, let's be honest; if it was a bunch of white/british/christian graves in a laregely christain cemetary you would all be calling for mass deportation and in the cases of some of you, the birch. You would have had this case closed before you had read to the end of the first paragraph. Then again, I may be wrong. Perhaps nobody did it, maybe the headstones just fell over in the night.