'It's sad to see the ugly side of racism rising up again'

""It's not just about being Sikh. It's about being brown. People don't distinguish between Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus." Mandip Singh is a trustee of Britain's oldest Sikh temple, the Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara at Shepherd's Bush in west London. He says people from his community are feeling increasingly anxious due to the political climate, events such as the Unite the Kingdom march and recent racially motivated attacks. "It feels like the 1970s again. I remember the National Front. The difference now is social media is amplifying hate,""

"This temple is expecting to spend 40,000 a year on security and is now calling for gurdwaras to receive the same government grant that mosques and synagogues already receive. Founded in 1913, this gurdwara is not only the oldest in the UK but also in western Europe. Through his work as a trustee, Mandip Singh, is in contact with 90 gurdwaras across the country in addition to his close links with the Sikh community across the capital."

Mandip Singh is a trustee of the Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara in Shepherd's Bush, west London, founded in 1913 and the oldest gurdwara in the UK and western Europe. Members of the Sikh community are feeling increasingly anxious due to the political climate, events such as the Unite the Kingdom march, and recent racially motivated attacks. The temple expects to spend £40,000 a year on security and has installed CCTV, iron gates, and a full-time security guard financed entirely by donations. Gurdwaras nationwide are diverting donations from community services to security and are calling for government grants on par with those given to mosques and synagogues. London recorded more than 21,054 hate crimes in the year to the end of August, with summer months showing above-average incidents and notable increases on public transport networks.

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