Now, Bradford erupts in violence

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JULY 8. As Britain's scorching summer of racial violence continues, vicious rioting erupted in Bradford on Saturday following street protests against the far-right National Front's attempt to march through the city centre defying an official ban. Pakistani youths, retaliating against racial abuse by NF activists, fought pitched battles with the police all of Saturday evening and until the early hours of Sunday in what was described as Bradford's most violent night in years.

An uneasy calm prevailed on Sunday but the authorities were keeping their fingers crossed as tension remained high and the police came under fire from ethnic groups who accused them of using ``heavy-handed tactics.''

The Home Secretary, Mr. David Blunkett dismissed the criticism as an attempt to find scapegoats, and urged people to take a ``deep breath'' and ``stop passing the blame''.

The trouble, in which two persons were stabbed and 80 police officers injured, was concentrated in the largely Asian Manningham district lined with properties owned mostly by Pakistanis.

Ironically, a number of vehicles set on fire by angry immigrants belonged to their own communities and many local residents were angry at what they termed as ``self-destructive'' violence, echoing Mr. Blunkett who in a TV interview told the immigrant youth to ponder that they were destroying their own properties. They must try to be a ``part of the solution'' rather than become a part of the problem, he said.

``These hooligans have been stealing cars and then setting them alight, but these cars belong to Asian people and they are just hurting their own. The trouble tonight is senseless and it will take us years to recover'', a Muslim youth told journalists. People complained that many of the rioters were outsiders, brought in by immigrant militants to take on the white fascist groups. In the end, it turned into a confrontation between Pakistani youth and the police with the National Front simply melting away after providing the spark.

``There's no logic to this. Where is the protest? Where are the National Front?'' asked a bewildered local councillor, Mr. Mohammed Riaz, as he watched cars and shops go up in flames. He found it hard to believe that this was happening in a ``city in England''.

This is the fifth north England town to erupt in recent months after Oldham, Leeds, Burnley and Accrington, raising fears of more ``copycat'' riots. Though generically described as ``Asians'', the immigrants involved in these riots, both as victims and perpetrators, have been mainly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis and Indians are tending to resent the catch-all ``Asian'' label and prefer to be called British Indians to distinguish themselves from their more volatile subcontinental neighbours.

A Left-wing Indian academic said the ``cycle of violence'' would continue so long as ``Pakistani and Bangladeshi youth remain frustrated because of their low level of education and high unemployment.'' He said they were ``sitting ducks'' for racist organisations such as the National Front and the British National Party who portrayed them as parasites. He suggested they learn from Indians - invest in education, integrate themselves locally and get on with their lives in a manner that would not make them stick out as undesirable aliens.

Tension in Bradford had been simmering for over a week following the NF's plans to go ahead with its march despite a ban.

There are different versions of how the trouble on Saturday erupted. One is that it started when a gang of white youths marched through the centre of the city chanting racist abuse. According to another version, the provocation came from a group of NF supporters who had gathered in a pub. They hurled abuse at Asian youths who were attending a meeting of the anti- Nazi League in the city's Centenary Square.

While it was widely acknowledged that the provocation came from white gangs, the scale of retaliation by Pakistani youth took people by surprise indicating an element of preparedness. After the first round of clashes during which a white youth was stabbed, police cleared the city centre and things looked like quietening down. But a little later, the local non-white youths regrouped in another party of the city and that's when the clashes with the police began.

As in previous riots, protesters used all sorts of missiles - petrol bombs, stones, bottles, street signs, hammers, burning torches and whatever they could lay their hands on. Cars and properties, including a pub and club were set on fire as police on horses tried to beat them back. Attempts by community leaders failed to calm passions, with the cat-and-mouse game between the rioters and police continuing until early on Sunday.

Authorities have been criticised for not being sufficiently tough with NF activists. Mr. Gerry Sutcliffe, Labour MP from Bradford south, said: ``Police knew where the (far right groups) were coming. I am not convinced we did all that we could to stop them getting into the city centre.''

There were calls for the Government to send out a strong message to racist groups, even as ethnic communities were reminded of the need for restraint from their side. The fact that all the five towns where racial violence has taken place recently are Labour constituencies was not seen as a good advertisement for Labour.

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