A memorial service was held yesterday (4 June) for families affected by a hate crime attack at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery in Watford, where dozens of Muslim children’s graves were desecrated earlier this year.
Brent Council, which owns the cemetery, reinstated the damaged graves and signs in time for the service, which was attended by councillors, community members, and police representatives.
The incident, which happened in April, sparked public outrage after it was revealed that 85 graves were reportedly damaged in what police investigated as an Islamophobic hate crime. Many of the graves belonged to children, prompting an outpouring of grief and anger across the community.
Cllr Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Jobs and Skills, said: “We promised that we would do everything we could to support the families. Today, we were able to honour and respect them and their loved ones by reinstating the graves and signs.
“We are continuing to work with the police and the community to ensure that Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery is a safe burial ground for those who are laid to rest here.”
Three Rivers Chief Inspector, Kio Bozorgi, added: “It is important that we continue to do everything we can to listen to and understand the needs of our Muslim community; we want them to have the confidence to approach the police directly to report hate crimes or incidents when they occur.
“We continue to work closely with Brent Council, which owns the cemetery site, to offer recommendations on how to increase security in the area and prevent a terrible crime like this from happening again.”
Brent Council has confirmed that it is working with police to increase security measures at the cemetery to prevent future incidents and reassure the community.
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