Six people have been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after a recording of what appeared to be Korans being burned appeared on the internet.

Officers detained two men on September 15 and four more on Wednesday and all six were bailed pending further inquiries, Northumbria Police said. “The arrests followed the burning of what are believed to have been two Korans in Gateshead on September 11,” the spokesman said. “The incident was recorded and a video placed on the internet.”

In a video still accessible on YouTube, six young men in hooded tops or wearing scarves over their faces can be seen pouring petrol on a book and setting it alight, before burning another. On the video, which appeared to have been filmed behind a pub, they cheer as the first book bursts into flames.

Northumbria Police said the men were not arrested for watching or distributing the video, but on suspicion of burning the Koran.

Press Association, 23 September 2010

See also Daily Mail, 23 September 2010