The congregation of a Hare Krishna temple on the outskirts of south Belfast have appealed for the community to help them combat anti-social behaviour.
Iskon Belfast, which is located at Brooklands Grange in Dunmurry, has been targeted in recent weeks by gangs of stone-throwing youths.
The temple and community facility has been based in the Grade B+ listed building for the past 40 years and is “dedicated to spiritual growth, cultural expression and inclusivity”.
It plays host to a variety of activities and events, including outreach programs for schools, universities, and local communities, along with weekly cookery classes, monthly yoga sessions and rejuvenating retreats.
But in recent weeks the congregation has been plagued by anti-social behaviour that has led to a number of windows in the premises being broken.
Temple priest Hari Jagan Mitra Dass told The Irish News that he and his fellow worshippers have “always felt very welcome in this area” but that the recent behaviour of a small group of young children had caused “great distress”.
“The PSNI has increased patrols in the area and visited the temple to advise us on how we can improve security but we don’t know what more we can do to stop this happening,” he said.
“We would appeal to the parents of children in the area to educate their children and ask them to show us some respect.”
Mr Hari said the stone-throwing “may appear like a bit of fun to the teenagers involved” that it was “very distressing for us and dealing with it costs a lot of money”.
He said police have recommended installing CCTV and movement activated lights to deter the youths.
West Belfast councillor Paul Doherty said he was “disappointed” to hear the Iskcon Belfast Krishna Temple had been targeted.
He said the local Krisha Temple group played an important role in the community and that he had been invited me to the temple to discuss how to bring the attacks to an end.
“Following these attacks I have reached out to the temple to offer my full support and solidarity and to let them know that these attacks are not representative of people in this area,” he said.
“I would urge parents to make sure their young people are not involved in this and hope that these attacks are not something more sinister.”
