Thursday 4 August 2011

The Curious Case Of The Curry House Kerfuffle

A Wild West-style brawl broke out in Brick Lane as curry house workers armed with rolling pins and brooms fought with drinkers in the street.
Wha..?
One man had his jaw broken and another suffered head injuries in a mêlée involving up to 30 people, allegedly including chefs and waiters.

CCTV footage showed men streaming out of restaurants just before midnight and a brawl breaking out. One man was seen having his head stamped on.
Most bizarre! There’s currently no comments, so the reason for this will remain a mystery.

Certainly, the ‘Standard’ doesn’t seem to know, or won’t say.
Paramedics treated six people at the scene, mostly for cuts and bruises. The injured were taken to hospital. Police later raided six restaurants in Brick Lane and arrested four men.
‘Later raided restaurants’, hmmm?
Today, a worker at one venue, Aladin said: "We're not gangsters, we're just normal people trying to earn a living. A lot of our guys were so shaken up and traumatised by what happened that they are too scared to come to work."
Curiouser and curiouser…
After the fighting on Wednesday last week, officers cordoned off the street under Operation Target, the Metropolitan police's drive against violent crime.

Detective Inspector Craig Robinson said: "People go to Brick Lane to socialise and it is famous - rightly so - for its great curry restaurants. People go there to have a good night out and they shouldn't have to witness or be involved in that level of violence."
So, tell us what caused it, Inspector! It presumably wasn’t down to too much spice in the korma, was it?
Police will report to Tower Hamlets council on whether any of the restaurants may have broken their licensing conditions.
*baffled*

13 comments:

English Viking said...

A bit rich that a chap called 'Aladin' should claim not to be a gangster.

I suppose his 40 mates are angels, too?

Captain Haddock said...

@ EV ..

Perhaps one of Aladin's mates was guilty of "rubbing" someone else's "lamp" & they got the hump ?

Or then again (call me cynical, if you will).. it could just be a falling out amongst possible illegal immigrants ..

Which could well be the reason for Plod remaining so tight-lipped about the incident ..

PT Barnum said...

You've not been to Brick Lane in recent months, Julia? The key word in the report is 'men', as the area is effectively a no-go area for women after rush hour. Any woman, hijab-ed or otherwise, is stared at, or worse, by the idling groups of young men watching the world go by. I find it, on my monthly professional visits, a frightening and alien place and I live in a large, cosmopolitan Midlands city where I have no axe to grind about 'diversity' but like my diverse neighbours.

Pavlov's Cat said...

Police will report to Tower Hamlets council on whether any of the restaurants may have broken their licensing conditions.

Right Tower Hamlets, Mayor Luftur Rahman

Licensing Committee
Councillor Kabir Ahmed (Weavers)
Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed (Bromley by Bow)
Councillor Rajib Ahmed (East India and Lansbury)
Councillor Mizan Chaudhury (Bethnal Green South)
Councillor Zara Emily Davis (Millwall)
Councillor Marc Francis (Bow East)
Councillor Peter Golds (Blackwall and Cubitt Town)
Councillor Shafiqul Haque (St. Katharine's and Wapping)
Councillor Carli Harper-Penman (Bow East)
Councillor Sirajul Islam (Bethnal Green South)
Councillor David Snowdon (Millwall)
Councillor Abdal Ullah (St. Dunstan's and Stepney Green)
Councillor Amy Whitelock (Mile End and Globe Town)

Can't really see that going anywhere can you

Anonymous said...

So they're not just relying on those 'sharia area' signs alone then. Lononistan must be such a vibrant city to live in these days.

Mark said...

I used to go there almost on a weekly basis 20-25 years ago; the Nazrul, the Sheba et al.Plus ca change.

On the basis of reports like this, I'm in no hurry to return. Fortunately my sporadic yearnings for spicy South Asian food are met these days by a couple of excellent Sri Lankan run outfits in SE London. Best give Tower Hamlets a wide berth !

Greencoat said...

Tower Hamlets today: half of England in 20 years.

Captain Haddock said...

"Tower Hamlets today: half of England in 20 years" ...

A good deal sooner than that, methinks ...

Laban said...

There used to be a pub on the Lane, (Seven Stars ? Six Bells ?) run by a Sikh, which had the most dodgy strippers on Sunday lunchtimes back in the 80s.

Sounds like non-drinkers vs drinkers to me. Didn't Ramadhan start on Monday?

Laban said...

ah - I see this was BEFORE the month started. Just clearing the decks, so to speak?

JuliaM said...

"I suppose his 40 mates are angels, too?"

:D

"You've not been to Brick Lane in recent months, Julia?"

No, not for years, actually - I used yo go quite regularly, when I worked locally. I loved the Clifton, just round the corner in Whitechapel Road, but I went to many in Brick Lane itself.

I guess I won't be going back :(

"Can't really see that going anywhere can you"

I thought I read somewhere that Rahman resigned?

"Lononistan must be such a vibrant city to live in these days."

Indeed!

JuliaM said...

"On the basis of reports like this, I'm in no hurry to return. "

Me neither :(

"Sounds like non-drinkers vs drinkers to me."

Hmmm, possibly. Maybe that's the licensing breach alluded to?

Pavlov's Cat said...

@Julia
I thought I read somewhere that Rahman resigned?


You must be joking, he is now the de facto 'village elder' Tower Hamlets is now run on Bangladeshi lines of Nepotism, tribalism and all the delightful 3rd world multicultural practices that engenders.

Take a look at his 'Cabinet'

Only plod or death can remove him from the money now.