Seven Kings “Sikh” murders: Reaction

British media coverage of an incident in East London (UK) in which three Sikh men were fatally stabbed has been roundly condemned by members of the Sikh community.

The incident took place on Sunday 19 January in Seven Kings, East London. Two men, aged 29 and 39, have been arrested on suspicion of the murders according to the Metropolitan Police. The victims have been named as Narinder ‘Nik’ Singh, Harinder Kumar (both in their 20s) and Baljit Singh (34).

Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Clayman said of the case, “We believe the parties involved were from the Sikh community and known to each other. A fight has taken place which has escalated, resulting in three people being fatally attacked.”

Firstly horrific videos being shared of the Seven Kings fatal stabbing victims bodies and now a sinister media effort to portray a "Sikh Gang Bloodbath". Faith/Religion has never been used before to describe the hundreds of knife crime victims in London. Why now?? pic.twitter.com/sZLUq2IWa3

— Mankamal Singh (@MankamalSingh) January 20, 2020

However, UK news outlets were sensational in their coverage, with some referring to “Sikh gangs”, implicating the entire Sikh community in issues around gang violence, rather than acknowledging this tragedy as an isolated incident.

Interesting to hear news bulletins mention the fact that the lethal stabbings in London involved 'Sikh' men with no explanation as to why their religion is important. Do we usually say 'Christian' men involved?

— Nihal Arthanayake ????️‍???????????????????????????????????????????????? (@TherealNihal) January 20, 2020

Many Sikh individuals and organisations, as well as media figures, questioned the necessity of including the faith of those involved. The Sikh Network went as far as to call the coverage “bigoted”.

The Sikh Press Association have been following the story since it broke, speaking to the local community in East London as well as the police and the local Gurdwara committee.

Look at this absolute MISLEADING & bs headline by the @DailyMailUK this morning !!!

There were NO GANGS involved that didn’t matter to Daily Mail !!! pic.twitter.com/iULVP8AjTV

— ravinder singh (@RaviSinghKA) January 20, 2020

Sikh PA press officer Dawinderpal Singh said on the coverage, “The local accounts that have been shared with Sikh PA suggest that the incident was not gang-related, but a dispute between men that knew each other which resulted in a violent conflict. Although this is now being reflected in media coverage, the headlines of ‘Sikh gang’ violence are irresponsible and potentially dangerous for all Sikhs.”

The Sikh Press Association will not be sharing speculation about why the incident occurred.

Why is the narrative that it's a gang war between rival Sikh groups still being pushed? In the exact same article, they explain that it was a drunken argument turned into murders between builders over unpaid work. Not just the @DailyMailUK that's still misinforming either. pic.twitter.com/E5wjazzHvb

— s (@kaljugi) January 20, 2020

We asked the Metropolitan Police why they felt the need to announce the religion of those involved when in plenty of other cases crime in the South-Asian community, such as the Muslim grooming gang epidemic, they have been referring to the perpetrators simply as “Asian”, something that has been raised by various groups including the Network of Sikh Organisations, via rep Hardeep Singh in a recent Spectator article.

Grooming Gangs = Asian

3 Sikh Men stabbed = Religion used.

The interesting portrayal by the media.

— rocky #freejagginow (@RockySingh) January 20, 2020

The Metropolitan Police spokesperson explained that they shared the religion of those involved because they felt it would be useful to getting eyewitnesses to come forward with information.

“We thought that because of how early we are in our investigation and the location of the incident, sharing the religion of those involved was important to help us find out more information while investigating this case,” he said.

The Seven Kings Gurdwara management, Singh Sabha London East released a statement on the incident expressing “shock and regret” but also “displeasure at the religious affiliation being made with the Sikh community” by police and media.

Sikh PA senior press officer Jasveer Singh said of the coverage, “This is not the first time media have callously used the word Sikh to associate criminality with faith. It seems the British media will interchangeably use the terms British, Indian and/or Sikh depending on the type of story they are reporting.

“For example, Harry Athwal is a Sikh man that was hailed as a ‘Brit’ hero for his efforts to protect a child during the Barcelona terror attack of 2017, yet he clearly stated in interviews he did it because he is Sikh. In contrast, Sikh individuals involved in crimes have been labelled with their faith.

“It is time that British establishments, including police and media, sat down with Sikh community figures to discuss this reoccurring issue. The Sikh community response to this kind of coverage should not be ignored.”

Sikh PA are hoping for further response from the Metropolitan Police Association about the use of the term Sikh and media use of it to claim the incident was about “Sikh gang” violence. We will update accordingly.