0.02 This is Burnley, North West England.

After a week of riots and civil unrest, the police have to maintain conversation and a good rapport with the locals, since confidence and morale are low.

We see here officers playing Cricket with young Asians.

However, several young people have complained about attacks by police, which the police deny.

 

0.40  Hussain Khalid tells us he was singled out and struck by police last week.

 

 0.45  I/V Hussain Khalid :

‘They brought me to this box here, and one of them had my hand round my back. The way they had it - he had me like that. , and he took me to this corner. And he took me to this corner. One had, er, one had my arm round my back, so he's hitting me. The other one had this scarf round my face. He was covering my face, so I didn't know which one hit me with, and as soon as he hit me with that, the blood started, the blood started pouring down my face. As you can see, this scarf is,  the scarf is there to prove it.'

 

1.22 1.25  I/V

‘We don't want no trouble here you see, so that's why they used a bit of force, saying, ‘look, we're the big boys here, and no-body should mess about'. What do you think. That's what happened you see. So they picked on him to show their force.'

 

 

1.40

In the past few weeks several cities in north-west England, have seen violent outbursts between Asian and white youths. Oldham was first to endure such violence, followed by Leeds, and now Burnley.

Here, a neighbourhood brawl was all it took to spark off riots and wide-spread destruction.

 

1.59

Until last week, the Duke of York pub was a peaceful meeting place for members of all communities.  However, because of its location on the border between an Asian and a white area, it recently became the target of a gang of Asian youths with fire-bombs.

 

2.21.

Pub landlady Maria Coulston, who lived with her two children in the flat above,  has had to close the pub.

 

2.31 I/V Maria Coulston, Pub landlady

‘We're not racist, we never have been racist, so why they've done this, I don't know.'

 

2,38:
‘Do you think the climate  has changed here?'

‘Yeah, there's a, there's an  ‘orrible feeling in the air. Everyody's upset. Everybody's scared, everyone's wondering if it's gonna happen again, and who's next. It needs to stop. Something needs to be done. It needs to stop.'

 

 

2,57:

Burnley is one of the several former textile industry cities in the northwest of England. Individual areas within the town belong to the poorest in Britain.

 

 

 

 

 3.04

These days the old Queen Street Mill is a museum and the weavers are gone.

Workers from Pakistan and Bangladesh were recruited during the 1950s, when white locals gained other, better paid jobs. Today, 7% of Burnley is Asian. Unemployment and homelessness, which are particularly prevalent amongst young people, are believed to be the primary cause of  growing racial tension.

 

 3.29 I/V Roger frost / local historian, Burnley:
‘This is a message that people in Burnley have never  been able to tell the country about, never have been able to tell the government about, whether it's a Labour government, or a Conservative government. No-one's really recognised the scale of social deprivation in these areas, and, I ought to add, in other parts of the town.'

 

 3.48

Many Asians today run their own businesses or drive taxis. Despite poor earnings and housing, the sense of community is far stronger here than in  poor white areas. However, right-wing parties try to expose what they view as preferential treatment of Asians. And it would seem, with some effect -the last elections saw them gain over 10% of votes in the town.

 

4.11

Since the violence first started, areas of Burnley remain in a state of unrest. Many businesses and restaurants are closed and taxi drivers are on strike from fear of being targeted by racist thugs.

Every evening, hundreds of policemen roam the streets, ready to intervene at the smallest sign of disturbance.  Caught unprepared when the trouble started, they are now determined to end the disruption.  At present,  demonstrations in the area are strictly forbidden.

 

4.39 Labour councillor Stewart Caddy wants to tackle the division between the communities.

 

 

4.46 I/V Stewart Caddy, Labour councillor

‘Once, if a meeting or a demonstration took place within the town, it's what potentially, and I say the word strongly, potentially, may happen afterwards. It might not be the event in itself, but it may happen afterwards. I think yes,that shops are boarded up as I said, and the sooner  we have that confidence where people can take their boarding back down, obviously, we need to put that back aswell. Get people get back to normality as soon as possible.'

 

5.13

Normality however, is clearly still a long way off.
Last weekend, Ahmed Maqsood's shop was the latest target of a gang attack.

 

5.21 I/V Ahmed Maqsood, shop-owner :

‘Alright, this shop has been attacked with the petrol bomb and window has been smashed, that's why I've boarded this all up. If you come inside, I can show you the damage it has done. That's where the petrol bomb landed inside, and caused all this fire and smoke in the ceiling.'

 

5,44

Despite the attack, customers show their support by visiting the shop even more regularly.

 

5, 49

‘Oh thanks very much. Thanks very much. Thanks for your concern.'

 

 5.56 OT:
‘I think it's disgusting, and I think it's just a foolish, senseless act. On both sides, they're just being silly. They're just not gaining  anything by it.'

 

6,06

Despite such views, racist opinions are strong here. Right-wing extremists, the British National Party, have always believed that different races should not mix with one another. The BNP seems to emerge anywhere where disruption occurs.

 

 6.23 I/V Steven Smith / British national party, Burnley :

‘We spoke to at least half a dozen people, that expressed a concern, that they were not having their views represented by local politicians.

 

6.40 I/V Steven Smith / British national party, Burnley:

‘The people living in the area, white people particularly, who  feel besieged, do not have a voice, or a ready ear to listen to their views, and their concerns.'

 

6,55:

Sunday evening in a traditional worker's pub near a housing estate - all the customers here are white. Most have been here since the early afternoon.

Places like this are a popular meeting place for the BNP.

 

7.14 I/V 1) Man

‘It's these young ones that's causing the bother, it's not the old folk, just like my age. It's the young ones who's causing the bother. Because they want fight against each other. I think it's bloody stupid.''

 

7.26 I/V 2) woman:

 ‘'And now, we're paying the price. I don't begrudge them being here, but when they're better off than my children, then I begrudge it, yeah I do. Anyway, bye.'

 
 7,45
Unemployment and a widespread sense of hopelessness have proved to be fertile soil for prejudice and violence. It's a volatile combination - and one that threatens to explode at any moment.

 

 

Conclusion 7,55

 

Report: Ernst Kernmayer

Camera: Ian Friswell