DIWALI PARTY ORGANISER BOMBARDED BY TROLLS

Kunal Patel, the organiser of a popular religious festival, has been targeted by internet trolls. Bombarded by dozens of online messages about this year's Diwali celebration in Aylesham, the forty-year-old remained unfazed by the comments, retorting: 'Every time I give the village updates on the social media page about our fireworks fundraiser, my post gets flooded with all these nasty messages.

'They post things like "Christ is King," "Jesus is the way," and quote the Bible at me.

'There is a certain element of fear, but I don't worry because we have the support of a lot of people, as the fundraising has shown.

'I am slightly scared, but it won't stop me from having the fireworks and holding a cultural festival for the village and my family. I think these comments are ignorant and come from trolls who have nothing better to do.'

Patel states that the UK is a multicultural society by law, which means religious freedom is a guaranteed principle. 'The law suggests that you cannot say the UK is exclusively a Christian country because it deviates from the diverse population and the laws that we have,' he said.

Patel introduced Diwali to his new community in Aylesham when he and his family moved there in 2019. Having grown up in London and then moving to the new village, he wanted to recreate the festival for his eight-year-old daughter, Aariya. The festival is celebrated by those who practice Hinduism, but also holds religious and cultural significance for Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists.

Kunal also states: 'From the comments when people have donated, a lot of people have said they are proud that we are taking a stand,' he said. 'It gives me confidence in the village that the negative trolls are in the minority and people genuinely support it.

'My post about the Aylesham fireworks is about bringing everyone together to raise funds for a celebration of light, community, and goodwill. It makes no mention of religion.'"