Wednesday, February 11, 2009

An anti-gang program may be used on Glasgow's South Side to tackle violence among young South Asian men

The move comes as three white men recover in hospital after an attack by four armed South Asian men, who struck as a seemingly innocent snowball fight in Pollokshields escalated out of control. Community activists expressed concern at the violence and antisocial behavior from young Asian men in the area. The police Violence Reduction Unit has told 55 gangs in the East End to engage in a more positive lifestyle or face the full weight of the law. A spokeswoman said: "We do not have any specific knowledge on Asian gangs, but if the program proves successful it will potentially be rolled out." The attack is being treated as racially motivated because of language used. Osama Saeed, the prospective SNP parliamentary candidate for the area, said research was needed to find out why Asian men are getting involved in gang culture. He said: "There was a feeling gang culture wouldn't affect the Asian community due to family values but this is no longer the case."

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