Peacehaven, East Sussex -Police are treating an attack on a mosque in Peacehaven, southern England, as arson and a hate crime after surveillance footage captured men in balaclavas attempting to enter the premises and setting a fire late on Saturday night while people were still inside.
Emergency services were called to the mosque on the UK’s south coast at approximately 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, shortly after evening prayers had concluded and as worshippers were leaving. The fire caused damage near the prayer hall area and completely destroyed a vehicle belonging to a mosque trustee that was parked outside.
A trustee of the mosque, speaking to the media on Sunday outside the damaged centre, confirmed the community was in shock and traumatised. “It is definitely hate crime related. The fire did go inside the main area of the building just before the prayer hall,” the trustee said.
Another trustee, who chose to remain unnamed, stated that the incident could have been far worse. “There were two people inside,” he said, adding that one person inside “smelt the flames and came outside in good time before the serious explosion.”
The trustee also suggested the attack may be “much more than a hate crime incident,” though he deferred to the ongoing police investigation.
The attack has raised alarms in the local area, which has seen rising far-right activity. The trustee noted that tensions are “high [in the area] but people have come forward to show their solidarity.” This incident follows a recent spate of English flag-raising incidents in Peacehaven and along the coast—a movement often associated with far-right anti-immigrant groups.
Police have cordoned off the area and maintained a presence outside the mosque on Sunday as the investigation continues.
The Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum issued a statement condemning the violence. The Forum stated it was “deeply saddened, appalled, and utterly condemns the suspected arson attack on the mosque in Peacehaven, East Sussex, on Saturday night, which Sussex Police are rightly investigating as a hate crime.”
