An Islamic center in Basildon, Essex, was defaced with the St George’s Cross by vandals in an incident labeled as “scum behavior.” Essex Police is searching for two individuals spotted near the South Essex Islamic Trust building during the vandalism. Graffiti stating “This is England” and “Christ is King” was painted on the walls, constituting racially aggravated criminal damage.
Gavin Callaghan, the Labour leader of Basildon Council, condemned the act as disgraceful and emphasized the need for swift cleanup. He reassured cooperation with the South Essex Islamic Trust and vowed to apprehend the perpetrators captured on the area’s extensive CCTV coverage.
Following the incident, Essex Police released images of the two suspects and urged anyone with information to come forward. Descriptions of the men were provided, including their attire at the time of the crime. The police requested the public to provide any relevant CCTV or dash cam footage related to the incident.
In a separate development, a council issued a warning against painting the St George’s flag on road markings in Colchester, Essex. Instances of road markings being altered to bear the flag’s colors have been reported across the city, leading to investigations by police forces into these acts. Despite claims of patriotism rather than racism by those responsible, the council stressed that such actions are not permissible under current regulations.