Brent Council Leader, Muhammed Butt, issues new warning over rising Covid19 rates as Diwali celebrations are curtailed

Today's stats from Covid SymptomStudy  - ZOE

From Cllr Muhammed Butt via Brent Council website

Today I need to share some bad news with you. Confirmed cases of coronavirus in Brent are rising quickly again. This is serious and the human cost is real and truly devastating. We see in the news every day that people are dying from coronavirus, including here in Brent at Northwick Park Hospital. Older people and particularly Asian men seem to be most affected. If you want to protect your loved ones – your parents, aunties, uncles and grandparents – you cannot afford to ignore the rules.

The current national restrictions mean that we all must stay at home, avoid seeing relatives or friends who we do not live with and follow the Public Health Rules. The rules are slightly different to the lockdown earlier this year. Schools and other types of education have stayed open. But the only way to lower the rate of infection in Brent, and protect our freedoms, is to stick to the rules. This is life and death.

This weekend Hindus, Sikhs and Jains will be celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights. Religious festivals and celebrations are such a big part of what makes Brent so special. I know how incredibly difficult the pandemic has been for people of all faiths. Earlier this year, Eid was very different. It’s likely that Hanukkah and Christmas won’t be the same either.

As a person of faith, I feel for you. These celebrations are normally a time when families, friends and neighbours come together. None of us wants to stop seeing our loved ones - particularly at such important times of the year. I know how disappointed many of you who were looking forward to celebrating Diwali with your loved ones, at a time when we need hope and light more than ever, will be. But the terrible reality is that we have got to make hard sacrifices together.

Temples in Brent have decided to remain closed this weekend. I want to thank everyone involved for making this responsible choice. I also want to personally thank everyone who will be celebrating at home and online instead, and wish you a Diwali that brings happiness and joy to you and your family. By staying at home you’ll be helping to protect those closest to you – especially older relatives who may be extremely clinically vulnerable, and are at risk of becoming very seriously ill if they pick up the virus. Although the celebrations will be different, there are still plenty of ways to mark Diwali safely. There is also a virtual Diwali event online

The current restrictions are essential to keep Brent safe, and we must all play our part together. There is no single outbreak in the borough. Instead, we believe COVID-19 is being passed on through community transmission. Most likely, this means people are transferring the virus to family and friends by visiting them in their homes.

So please, stay at home and follow the important Hands, Face, Space guidance. If you do develop symptoms of the virus, stay at home and book a free test straight away by calling 020 8937 4440.

If we all follow the rules and stop the virus spreading among our communities, we will be able to look to better times ahead.

New rapid turnaround COVID testing

Brent has been selected as one of the boroughs that will receive new rapid turnaround COVID tests, which will give results in less than hour. We’re planning to use these initially to protect the most vulnerable groups among our communities, and to maintain critical services. We’re currently waiting for more details from the Department for Health & Social Care about when the tests can be rolled out.

 

Brent Stop the War will join Kashmir protest outside Downing Street on Sunday

Brent Stop the War has issued the following clarification regarding Sunday's Kashmir demonstration:

A well-attended 14th October meeting on PEACE & JUSTICE FOR KASHMIR in the Community Hall at the Cricklewood Mosque, was co-sponsored by Brent Mosque and Brent Stop the War. It was supported by Brent Central Labour Party and Brent & Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign. 

We agreed to have the Brent Stop the War banner on the demonstration in support of Kashmir on this Sunday (October 27th) assembling outside Downing St from 12.00 noon. There has been some public controversy over this demonstration, its purpose and its destination.

Our meeting heard how the Modi government in India had withdrawn the (limited) autonomy of Kashmir and violently repressed the opposition, ignoring longstanding UN resolutions. It was also made clear that this is neither a Pakistan vs India dispute nor a Hindu/Muslim one, but the right of Kashmiris to self-determination and for a just and peaceful solution to the dispute.

Kashmiris have long protested on October 27th, the date the Indian military entered Kashmir in 1947. In the UK, this is marked with a protest each year outside the Indian High Commission.

With the Hindu festival of Diwali falling on Sunday 27th, some have expressed the view that it would be inappropriate to hold the demonstration. Other claims that the demonstration will cause communal conflict because it coincides with Diwali 2019, could be seen as promoting a view of the Indian High Commission as a Hindu institution, when in fact the Diwali religious festival is not exclusive to India and the country defines itself as secular.

Although It is perfectly normal in a democratic society to protest outside the embassy of a government which breaks international law, out of respect for the celebration of Diwali we will not be going on to the High Commission. 

We will join the protest outside 10 Downing St, which has raised no criticism of the actions of the Modi Government.

Do these Guys know what they are doing?

In the light of my previous posts on Brent's decision to end grants for festivals it does not deem 'inclusive' I was interested to see a comment from Venilal Vaghela, Chair of Brent Diwali Advisory Board.  Brent Council has said that it wants to combine various festivals together in one big  'Brent Celebrates' event. It has already lumped together  Black History Month, Diwali and Halloween in the Word Up! event. LINK Its claim that  Brent's Bonfire Night combines Diwali and Guy Fawkes is challenged by Mr Vaghela who says:

Our fireworks celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The bonfire night fireworks stand for something completely different and the dates do not match. It would be like celebrating Christmas in January.

Diwali is on October 26th this year and will be celebrated at the weekend. Bonfire Night at Barham Park is on November 5th.  Perhaps Brent's insensitivity to the cultural meaning of events will mean that they combine Easter and St Patrick's Day in the Spring! They may even call it the 'Easter Uprising'...

Little celebration in Brent this year

"Now, is Brent's strategy as good as mine was?"

Brent Council's Executive will tomorrow decide its policy on the funding of cultural events and festivals. Officers propose that the Council should stop funding any events that are not inclusive to all of Brent's diverse communities. Although the Council claims to be positive about the borough's diversity it will cease organising events for  Chunuka, St Patrick's Day, Eid, Diwali, LGBT Month and International Women's Day and will no longer fund Navratri or the Christmas lights.

Instead it proposes to organise one 'Brent Celebrates'  Event and to continue to provide fireworks night and Holocaust Memorial Day. I am still unclear how celebrating the failure of an attempt to blow up parliament and the burning of an effigy of a Catholic conspirator is 'inclusive to all Brent residents' - but there you go...

The report says that no major events were planned this financial year as this would have pre-empted the Council's decision. It also states that there is no time to programme any large events this year such as Respect, Countryside Day and Diwali because recruitment of specialist staff was put on hold pending the outcome of the report. No preparatory was has therefore taken place with communities and schools.

Officers suggest that this be treated as a 'transitional year; with a 'new inclusive programme' next year. They do suggest there could be some small scale events this year but these would have to take place within the reduced budget available.  With an eye on potential headlines they state that the Council is not stopping the celebration of any dates or events, and would be encouraging them - but these would have to be 'community led', which presumably also means community funded.

Before we all get too dreary, Brent whips its new all-purpose white rabbit out of the conjurers hat - cheer up everyone, the Civic Centre will save us all! From the summer of 2013 the Civic Centre's halls, galleries, garden and foyer will be able to host events for 'community and income generation purposes'. So there we are, Brent Council will be competing with the Wembley Arena. James Powney is going to be Brent's very own Simon Cowell