Religious leaders have united to condemn violence following protests over the murder of Henry Nowak.
Pritheepal Singh, from the Council of Southampton Gurdwaras, said the community stood firmly with the family of Henry Nowak Leaders in Southampton's Sikh community have called for "peace and harmony" following violent protests over the murder of Henry Nowak.
The Council of Southampton Gurdwaras - which represents the city's Sikh community - condemned Digwa's actions but said violence on the streets should never be tolerated. , then lied to police at the scene, falsely claiming he was the victim of a racist attack, leading officers to arrest Nowak instead of his killer. The 23-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum 21-year term on Monday.
, where chairs, cans and flares were thrown at officers in riot gear, forcing them and three police vans to retreat. Pritheepal Singh, from the Council of Southampton Gurdwaras, said the community stood firmly with the Nowak family.
"The scenes I've seen are horrific and it has caused a lot of community tension," he said. "We really would like to see peace and harmony within our Southampton communities and beyond. "Listen to the latest news from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Harjap Singh, a former chair of the council and a community leader, said he had never witnessed an incident in which so much focus had been placed on the Sikh community.
He emphasised the community's role in British history and contribution to both World Wars.
"Sikhs do respect every community and they always respect community relations. They go out of their way to maintain that respect, not just for themselves, for everybody else.
" He added: "Our sympathy, our support, our respect is with the family. We hope it never happens to anyone again.
"The Bishop of Southampton, Rhiannon King, visited the Sikh community on Wednesday alongside colleagues from the Church of England and the Southampton Council of Faiths to show solidarity. "What happened back in December is a one-off knife crime - a horrific thing. It doesn't reflect and it shouldn't reflect badly at all on the Sikh community," she said.
"What you saw last night is not Southampton," she said. "Southampton is an amazing place full of amazing people and we have a reputation for centuries of welcoming people from all over the world and living very comfortably together. " Satvir Kaur, the Sikh MP for Southampton Test, visited members of the community affected by the protests.
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