LONDON: The fires which have raged in London’s worst rioting for decades have forged a sense of community rarely seen in the British capital, with Sikhs in the western borough of Southall leading the way.
Hundreds of turbaned men gathered outside their gurdwara, or temple, to defend the west London borough on Tuesday after rumours circulated on social networking website Twitter that it was next on the looters’ hitlist.
Men sporting traditional garb including the kirpan, a ceremonial Sikh dagger, led chants as others patrolled the area by car and motorcycle looking out for the looters who have terrorised the city since Saturday.
The Sikh religion obliges every devotee to carry a small stylized dagger sewn in a closed scabbard under their clothes but most were steadfast in their rejection of violence.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in 15th century Punjab, India, on the teachings of Guru Nanak and 10 successive Sikh gurus. Its principal beliefs are faith and justice.
Amarjit Singh Dhillon, an adviser to the hastily-convened committee, explained to AFP that the operation was “not about vigilantes, just self-defence”.
“Being a Sikh means that you can never attack anyone, but if somebody attacks you… enough is enough!” he added.
“My house can be rebuilt…but this is a place of worship, it is for everybody,” he said, adding that he would be ashamed of himself if he didn’t protect it.
Committee President Himat Singh Sohi, sporting a lustrous white beard and black turban, stressed that “the message of our guru is peace, live in harmony and work hard”.
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, the biggest Sikh temple in Europe, serves as the focal point for local worshipers, who make up 23 percent of the area’s population, according to the 2001 census.
Sunny Bangea, 23, said he was prepared “to fight fire with fire” to protect the temple and surrounding community.
“A lot of stupid things happened here,” he said. “On Monday night, gangs tried to set the temple on fire, but there was no damage. Since then, we look after the temple 24 hours a day.”
“It’s just a bunch of idiots creating trouble.”
The community mobilised after a tweet from rioters was intercepted Monday reading: “All my…niggas that linked up today Roll thru tomoro at 6pm sharp in Southall broadway hit up the jewellers!”
Although centred around the temple, the operation extended to all members of the community, one of Bangea’s friends explained.
“It’s the local area, we have to help, even if it’s the pub across the street,” he told AFP.
Community defence groups have sprung up across the capital since unprecedented rioting and looting began late Saturday after a protest against the death of a man in a police shooting turned violent.
Sympathy for the rioters was in short supply among the men of Southall.
Investment bank worker Davinder Singh, who called on his fellow Sikhs to uphold their reputation as “saints and soldiers”, bemoaned the descent into anarchy.
“From a spiritual and religious view, it’s the dark ages we’re living right now,” he said. “There was a little bit of a disturbance and then people just go to gain whatever they can. It’s just pure selfishness.”
A warden at the grand marbled temple said the lack of police presence had forced them to act.
“Two days ago, black Muslims came here to fight,” he said. “We called members of the community to defend the temple and we pushed them back.
“Then the police came and told us that we should unite to defend ourselves,” he added.
Increased police numbers appeared to have quelled the disorder, but the Southall Sikh community continued to maintain their vigil as night fell Wednesday.
The rattled nation braced for the fourth consecutive night of unrest as a British far-right group leader claimed 1,000 members are taking to the streets to face down the mobs.

A building burns in Croydon, South London, Tuesday. (Lewis Whyld/AP)
"We're going to stop the riots," said Stephen Lennon, leader of the English Defense League, adding that his members were setting out across Luton and Manchester. "Police obviously can't handle it."
The rioting erupted Saturday in a northern section of London after a protest over the shooting death of a man who traded gunfire with police.
More than 16,000 cops fanned out across London's streets Tuesday night - the biggest police presence there in history - but authorities acknowledged they could not guarantee an end to the violence.
In a sign of growing desperation, Scotland Yard authorized the use of plastic bullets to bring the violence to heel.

Above, Sikh men gather outside their temple in Southall. (Sky News)
Several residents bravely took to the streets to protect their businesses and houses of worship.
Hundreds of Sikh men stood guard outside their temple in Southall, a district in western London.
Meanwhile, police opened an investigation into the death of a 26-year-old man who had been shot in a car in Croydon, south of London, during the riots, the BBC reported.
No further details were immediately available.
Some 685 people have been arrested as the rioting spread throughout London and into Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Leeds. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said, "This has been senseless violence and senseless criminality of a scale I have never experienced in my career before."

(WENN.com)
Among the disturbing images since the looting began was a photo of a woman leaping out of a burning building in Croydon into the arms of bystanders (above).
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steven Kavanagh said it was a "shocking and appalling morning for London to wake up to."
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his Italian vacation and recalled Parliament to deal with the worsening crisis.
"People should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain's streets and to make them safe for the law-abiding," Cameron said.
With News Wire Services