Night of violence in Birmingham leaves Asians fearing for their lives
By Cahal Milmo in Birmingham
Published: 24 October 2005 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_brit...ticle321776.ece

Iqbal winced as his finger touched the purple bruising and neat line of stitches above his swollen left eye. He stood in the wreckage of his fast-food shop, including an upturned charity box, looted of its donations to victims of the South Asian earthquake.

The 33-year-old shopkeeper, who did not want to give his full name, said: " This is racial harmony in Britain today: where a rumour of a crime leads to a mob who trash your business and want to smash your face in because of your colour."

Shortly after 7pm on Saturday night, a gang of about 100 youths, most of them black, swept along Iqbal's street in the Lozells area of Birmingham, smashing his windows and display counter with cricket bats and bricks. The charity box was emptied of £200 donated by customers, both black and Asian.

A few yards from the kebab shop, a British Pakistani taxi driver suffered serious head injuries when his car was set upon by masked attackers, throwing house bricks through the windows. Yesterday the wrecked car stood outside the man's house, a pile of blood-stained bricks in the front and passenger seats.

By the end of a night punctuated on at least 12 occasions by gunfire, one man was dead, 20 people had been sent to hospital, including three with stab wounds, and at least a dozen homes and businesses ransacked in the worst racial violence to have hit Britain's second city since the Hands-worth riots in 1985. Police said that more than 80 offences had been committed during one 75-minute "burst of extreme violence". They confirmed that the victim of the fatal stabbing was a 23-year-old black man.

Hundreds of police were patrolling the Lozells area to try to prevent a recurrence of the vicious clashes between Afro-Caribbean and Asian youths, which senior officers blamed on a "small minority" intent on stirring up racial hatred.

The disturbances on Saturday came after a week of increasing friction. This had been caused by unsubstantiated allegations of the gang rape of a 14-year-old black girl by up to 19 Asian men in an Asian-owned shop selling Afro-Caribbean beauty products in the nearby district of Perry Barr.

West Midlands Police said last night that an exhaustive investigation had yet to find any evidence that the assault had taken place and the alleged victim had yet to come forward. Supporters say her status as an illegal immigrant means she is too afraid to do so.

But the lack of evidence did not prevent details from being broadcast in lurid detail by DJs for two Afro-Caribbean pirate radio stations in Birmingham throughout last week. This led to protests outside the beauty products shop and a petition signed by 1,000 calling for more to be done to trace the alleged rapists.

The Independent has learnt that at least one of the radio stations, Hot FM, and a DJ named "Warren G", called for a boycott of Asian businesses in Lozells. This is a racially mixed area north-west of Birmingham city centre with a large Muslim community originating from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Claims were made that several black women had been assaulted by Asian men.

The 33-year-old owner of the beauty products chain, Beauty Queens Cosmetics, who has strongly denied that any sexual assault took place after being interviewed by police for 12 hours last week, said a mob mentality had been generated. He said: "What kind of society are we living in when hundreds of presumably law-abiding citizens can be duped into coming on to the streets to protest when the so-called organisers don't know exactly what they are protesting about?"

Police sources said they were investigating claims of incitement to racial hatred against Hot FM and another station, Sting FM.

Ilyas Mohammed, 28, a Royal Mail worker who narrowly escaped injury when a brick was thrown through his car window, said: "I happen to listen to Hot FM and the stuff this station was putting out was poison. It was about how this girl had been attacked and the Asians were to blame. They said black people should not be spending their money in Asian shops and how we were too successful. The sub-text was obvious.

"It was more like Rwanda than Birmingham. What happened last night was black kids feeling they could respond to that by beating up some Pakis."

The disturbances, which also left one police officer injured when he was hit in the leg by a projectile fired from a ball bearing gun, followed a meeting held at the New Testament Church of God on Lozells Road, attended by two senior police officers and the Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, who represents Perry Barr.

Police played down suggestions that the violence was inspired by rival Asian and black drugs gangs. Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw said the meeting and an earlier peaceful demonstration had led him to believe there would be a "successful conclusion" to rising tensions. He said: "It now becomes clear some people did not intend that to happen. People started the day with intent to actually create mayhem."

A senior figure in the Lozells Afro-Caribbean community, many of whom are of Jamaican extraction, said a sense of social injustice lay behind the trouble. He said: "I'm ashamed of what I've seen in recent days people from my community walking into Asian shops and telling them to shut down or be burnt down. It is an absolute minority but beneath it is the fact that the Asian community here has been successful. The shopping area on Lozells Road 20 years ago had two or three Asian shops now they make up the vast majority. Some people here think that's down to some sort of unfair advantage and last night was their way of seeking their revenge."

Birmingham.The very city in which Enoch Powell made his 'Rivers of blood' speech in 1968.

I personally blame the misguided concept of the 'Multi Cultural Society'. Whilst it sounds nice on paper, but so does communism, if you consider the idea more closely it is the philosophy of the ghetto.

Black Cloud

Yes, he accurately predicted the ghetto culture that would manifest.



Interesting poll on Sky news yesterday. Asked if Britain is more racially devided than ever: 96% of the public said YES.

Is this the love Enoch Powell/racism hate diversity thread? I'll get my coat...

No one loves racism.Powell was clued up enough to realise that creating multi-cultral ghetto's, can breed the very 'racism' that you hate so much.Look what diversity has done to the Lozzels district of Birmingham in the last week.

Everybody loves telling British people that they have been enriched by the vibrant multi cultralism that has been undemocratically impossed upon them. when people dare to question this, the Left normally reel out the old arguements about having a wide selection of food and resturants, and having lots of people to do sh*t jobs for the minimum wage in order to boost the economy.Which seems a thoughly patronising arguement .Where as, i can see many many disadvantages to pursuing this multi-racial social experiment that has been snowballing for the last couple of decades.

PS...There were plenty of Chinese,Indian,and Italian restaurants 20 years ago,when immigration was still at a sensible level. There were also plenty of people willing to clean schools and offices,and work in the food industry..etc.The influx of cheap foriegn labour has reduced (and in many cases Frozen) wage increases for the lowest paid workers.

Another thread for the people who think that KLF is just a little misguided innocent...

Another thread where no one offers a counter arguement. You're right Leontien.Nothing changes.

What have i said that so offends you? Its clear in Britain that the large and (at times) uncontrolled infux of foriegn nationals into the country has caused a large rise in racial tension, both between the established population and immigrants,and also between the many different immigrant populations.Sorry, but i don't want a 'Rwanda' happening in my country.(Thats how the riots were discribed by terrified locals,over the weekend.) I didn't feel very enriched and vibrant after watching those scenes on TV this week.

You might not want to hear that. It may not fit in with your ideolistic vision of a harmonious, diverse, integrated dream of the modern world,but i deal in facts and what is really happening on the steets,NOT in PC soundbites.

the klf,Oct 25 2005, 12:48 PM]
[/QUOTE]Birmingham.The very city in which Enoch Powell made his 'Rivers of blood' speech in 1968. [QUOTE]

and your point is?...
and before you reply, ive read all your posts klf.
why is it that always in a tragedy you always attack people from an anti-immigration stance.
perhaps its time that you looked at racial tensions from a different view point. instead of victim blaming you could look at laws and policies that victimise members of ethnic minority groups, and look at how the press and media sensationalise tensions because it makes "good reading".
You seem to have a deep mistrust of and resentment towards communities that do not neccesarily mix with the wider community! do we not all do that? do we not all form a bond with people who share a history, beliefs and values? and if you were a member of a minority group, isolated from wider society would you not join others who were isolated too?!!!
and from the other side, so bleeding what if black people and asian people do not want to intergrate! why the hell should they!!!

I'm not sure what the mistrust of isolated communities stems from. It seems to me that if one were afraid of losing his or her culture (whatever that means) one would prefer immigrants remain isolated.

is that a fact?

perhaps you could tell that to the BNP. oh hang on, maybe thats what they tell YOU.

I'm a bit confused – nobody was reporting that the black rioters were immigrants. They were just black. Nor, necessarily, were the Asians immigrants. Perhaps their grandparents were, but those on television surely sounded British to me.

So, with all due respect KLF, this looks to have been a very British riot.

Now, shall we discuss it in those terms? If you want to say this is another indication of a steady decline in Britain, caused by the British, I'm happy to hear it.

I'd say people riot a lot in Birmingham because it's quite grim there. I'd riot if I lived in Birmingham.

some people riot just because their football team doesn't win

Nice to see Nevski back amounst us. Must mean he's on half-term break?

so: to sum up..

klf says

So its grim in Brirmingham? why is it so grim,Mata? Could it be the abundance of Ghetto's and all the problems they create.

You also say Britain is in a steady decline,Mata? Again, why do you think that is happening?

The riots were between two factions of migrant decent.It was 'racist' revenge, sort by one race against another,for a precieved wrong doing by the opposite race.

When large groups of different ethic and racial backgrounds live seperate lives in the same areas,it unfortunately causes problems and racial tension.It is an unnatural artificially created social make-up,and Ghetto's are created as a result.

Sorry folks, but if this isn't rasism, I don't know what is.

For the record: I asked Toby to review this thread

Actually this is a good analogy. From what I've seen the rioting is effectively a turf war between 2 bands of people. One group aren't pleased that the other group are gaining ground in their territory. The differences are cultural & tribal rather than racial.

Last weekend there was 'trouble' between Newcastle & Sunderland fans after the local derby. As was pointed out in either the Guardian or Observer before the match this is a continuation of a battle that started during the reign of the Stuarts when Newcastle mines got preference over Sunderland mines. In the English civil war Newcastle became Royalist whilst Sunderland was Roundhead.

If 2 cities can't get on after 400 years what chance do two differing cultures have after 20-30 years.

I know this post will be slated. But I'm trying to get out of the pro/anti KLF trough this strand has decended into.

The difference is that the trouble at the newcastle game was not race related.No one was beaten to death.A police man wasn't shot.There wasn't different local radio stations urging revenge.After the violence, the two factions didn't have to go back and live on the same streets.People were not attacked because of their colour.

Thats not a quote from my post, Leontien.If you look,you will see that i edited my post at 9.12.You posted at 9.13.

This is the correct quote:

So you changed the words a bit, doesn't change what you're saying.

Oh dear! A thread made for the KLF! Do we need more?

Mata has posted an eminently sensible comment (apart from the bit about rioting 'cos they lived in Birmingham - you were joking, right? ;-)).

Listen, multi-culturalism does work. Remember the Asian guy saying he listened to the Afro-carribean radio station? Or an afro-carribean guy deploring the ways some members of his own community had been stirring up shit about Asians and their businesses?

These people are British.

Trevor Phillips, the head of racial equallity famously said last year that Multi-culturalism is NOT working.



Heres the BBC's most recent update:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4270010.stm

But he's not saying it can't work!

no. it means there is a lull in my coursework, and i can waste my spare time on pointing out your political leanings.

Dude, have you BEEN there? You can't blame the immigrants for that. You've got to blame the city government of the 1970s. *shudders*

That's some overenthusiastic urban renewal gone mad. Much like significant chunks of Chicago and DC. Horrid.




The whole world's going to hell. It's so depressing.



What's your last name, KLF? Really? Then you're a descendent of immigrants too. This island didn't spring forth from the sea fully peopled by white folk. It was invaded. Repeatedly. If your family are longtimers, it's likely you're a descendent of invaders. We are all of migrant descent.

Britain hasn't been successfully invaded since the 10th century. How far do you want to go back in history in order to prove people of certain countries are not 'indigenous'??? Both the native Americans and the Aborigines in Australia originally migranted from Asia.

Mata, with all due respect, KLF blames immigrants for everything, including his last name.

Enoch Powell was a racist. The purpose of the Rivers of Blood speech was to stir up racism which it did. (with racist demos resulting - supported by Powell.) Im sick of the speech being dragged up by closet racists every time theres some sort of trouble on our streets with a racial element - like Enoch was some sort of Nostradamus or something. Its so easy to be a populist policitician and give out this crap - actually most of the riots since the speech - like in 81 have been about poverty not race. I dont see much difference between Powell and Moseley actually - he was just more guarded with his words.

Deleted due to inappropriateness.

Don't dislike them at all.I just think that sheer volume of migrants entering Britain over the last two decades,has not helped the settled immigrant population at all, or the native population.

Regarding rioting.The only two riots in modern times that i can think of that wern't race related were the Toxteth riots and the Poll tax riots.

Is this your new term for the "White Race"?

No, that would be 'native population' . 'Settled immigrant population' refures to (well ??) immigrants.


I'm not against migration into the counrty.I'm against the sheer numbers coming in compared with 20 years ago, and the social disruption that this has caused both the resident immigrant population,and the country as a whole.

can i get this straight, if it wasn't for the immigration policy of the labour government, who you keep voting for, KLF, this riot wouldn't have happened?

is that what you are saying?

Lets just say, that i won't be voting for them again in the next election.
Labour must hold a large degree of responsability for the current situation,but it is also the Guardianista who have infiltrated every form of public life, from the police,to the civil service ,to the courts,to Customs,to quangos,to basically every institution that controls policy. They must also share the blame as well.

right oh.

Indeed, KLF, that voice in your head that makes up words and feeds you incoherent thoughts must accept some blame for Britain's 20-year immigration swarm.

Made up words??

Try a google.You'll find 40 pages of 'The Guardianista' references.

And, shockingly enough, multiple BNP links pop up.

PS: It's a made up word.

Every word is 'Made-up'

You were implying that I made it up,when in fact its a common phrase.

No, KLF, I was implying that the BNP voice in your head made it up. Please stop abusing the Clickable Smilies.

it's common enough here.

I'm sure some violent extemist Left-wing groups have the same opinions as yourselves on a certain matters,does that make you all violent extremists????

hmmm seems to be a bit more than co-incidence to me

http://www.bnp.org.uk/candidates2005/manifesto/manf3.htm

klf says

bnp says


it's all the same

Sure, KLF, with the absence of an example of a violent extremist Left-wing group having the same opinions as the unnamed forum members you’ve called into question, it's quite clear that you're right on the money. And your use of four question marks underscores the validity of your assertion all the more.

perhaps klf could just say which bits of the bnp manifesto he doesn't agree with

As i've never been on their website and have never seen their manifesto,or logged onto storm-thingy,i wouldn't have a clue.

How many views of yours coincide with the communist manefisto.If any of them do, does that make you a communist.

yes

silly boy

a positive note.