Burnley, Oldham not linked: police

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JUNE 25. Police and community leaders were today trying to calm passions in Burnley, Lancashire, after a second consecutive night of racial violence amid fears of ``copy cat'' riots spreading to other areas.

Shops and vehicles were burnt in retaliatory attacks by gangs of Asian and white youths with each side matching the other measure for measure in what was described as a replay, though on a smaller scale, of the clashes in neighbouring Oldham a few weeks ago. While a white mob burned down an Asian newsagent's shop, immigrant youths, mostly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, attacked a pub which they alleged was a meeting point for racist elements and set fire to a leisure shop.

Contrary to initial reports, the trouble appears to have been sparked by an argument after an Asian family asked their white neighbour who was having a weekend party late on Saturday night to stop playing loud music. ``Some whites allegedly responded with threats saying: we will sort you out,'' according to a newspaper version. It said within minutes, a van which the Asians alleged had been used by the far-right British National Party (BNP) during the recent elections arrived carrying a group of white youths. Soon skirmishes began and stones were thrown at an Asian taxi driver. As he came out of the vehicle, he was hit with a hammer breaking his cheekbone, triggering a wave of anger which the Asian youths first directed at the police and then at white properties.

Asians complained that the police were slow to respond and took nearly 30 minutes to reach the scene of the attack on the driver. Mr. Rafique Malik, Deputy Mayor of Burnley, criticised the police saying: ``If the police took half an hour to arrive after the taxi driver was attacked, what faith do we have that they will protect our people.'' Sober elements in both communities sounded distressed repeatedly saying that ``Burnley is not Oldham'' and that the town had a good record on race relations. Ms. Marie Coulston, whose pub windows were smashed, said she never had trouble before and Mr. Malik, testifying to the tolerant image of the area, declared: ``It would be a shame for Burnley to be tagged as another Oldham because it is not. I have been a councillor here for 30 years and the majority of voters are white and they have always supported me.''

Police also sought to rule out a link with Oldham but suspicions remained because of the presence of alleged BNP activists. As in Oldham, here too the BNP contested the general election and got 4,000 votes indicating its creeping strength in mixed areas of north England. ``There is a feeling here that a domino effect may be at work,'' a BBC reporter said from Burnley. Nearly 6,000 of the town's over 90,000 population comprises Asian immigrants who claim that the area has no history of racial tension. They were surprised that the BNP managed to get over 11 per cent votes and blamed ``outsiders'' for stirring up trouble. One Asian told a newspaper that his fiancee was white and there had never been any trouble.

This is the third outbreak of racial violence in recent weeks and coincides with the increased visibility of extremist groups such as the National Front and BNP. Authorities, however, argue that they cannot be prevented from engaging in legitimate political activity such as fighting elections. In Oldham even as Asians complained that the NF and BNP were distributing inflammatory pamphlets, police maintained that they found nothing objectionable.

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