Bradford Riot
Encyclopedia
The Bradford Riots were a short but intense period of riot
ing which began on 7 July 2001, in Bradford
, West Yorkshire
, England. It occurred as a result of heightened tension between the large and growing ethnic minority communities and the city's white majority, stoked by confrontation between the Anti-Nazi League
and far right
groups such as the British National Party
and the National Front
. Similar race riot
s had occurred earlier in May in Oldham and in June in Burnley other parts of Northern England
.
city. Since its rapid growth in the 19th century, there have been several significant waves of immigration, notably Irish
(19th century), Poles
(1940s-50s) and South Asian people. At the time of the riot, Bradford had the second largest population of Asians of any UK city, with approximately 68,000 Pakistanis, 12,500 India
ns, 5,000 Bangladesh
is and 3,000 other Asians. However, the majority of people in the city are white (Ethnicity: 78.3% White, and 18.9% S.Asian).
While the South Asian population in Bradford has grown, and there are areas which are mainly white and areas which are mainly South Asian, it is disputed whether segregation has grown over time, whether the phenomenon of white flight
applies to Bradford, and whether one can accurately talk of ghettos in Bradford. At the time of the riot, Bradford Moor
was 67% South Asian, Toller
was 64 percent South Asian. Of the 17,512 people of Manningham
13,049 were South Asian. Tong
was 93 percent white, and Wibsey
was 91 percent white.
; two months previously, there had been riots in Oldham
. Tensions rose after the National Front
attempted to organise a march in the city which was banned by Home Secretary David Blunkett under the Public Order Act 1986
. The Anti Nazi League organised a rally in Centenary Square in the centre of the city, which was allowed to proceed. During the course of the rally, a rumour was spread by some of the marchers that National Front sympathisers were gathering at a pub in the centre of Bradford. A confrontation then occurred outside the pub in the city centre during which a man was stabbed. According to the appeal court, this incident almost certainly triggered the riot. However, subsequent research amongst eye-witnesses contests this view with no single event being identifiable as a flashpoint.
The most expensive act of the riot was the arson attack of a BMW
dealership, which had previously been attacked in a 1995 disturbance
. Several riots followed a few days later.
The Ouseley Report
released 7 March 2005 recommended a "people's programme" to bring harmony to the city. The government subsequently commissioned the Cantle report which made 67 recommendations. In 2006 Channel 4
produced a non-fictional drama, Bradford Riots, directed by Neil Biswas. The film tells the story of 2001 riots from the perspective of an Asian family.
Recent sectarian violence:
Non-sectarian:
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
ing which began on 7 July 2001, in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. It occurred as a result of heightened tension between the large and growing ethnic minority communities and the city's white majority, stoked by confrontation between the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
and far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
groups such as the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
and the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
. Similar race riot
Race riot
A race riot or racial riot is an outbreak of violent civil disorder in which race is a key factor. A phenomenon frequently confused with the concept of 'race riot' is sectarian violence, which involves public mass violence or conflict over non-racial factors.-United States:The term had entered the...
s had occurred earlier in May in Oldham and in June in Burnley other parts of Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
.
Background
Bradford is historically a working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
city. Since its rapid growth in the 19th century, there have been several significant waves of immigration, notably Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
(19th century), Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
(1940s-50s) and South Asian people. At the time of the riot, Bradford had the second largest population of Asians of any UK city, with approximately 68,000 Pakistanis, 12,500 India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, 5,000 Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
is and 3,000 other Asians. However, the majority of people in the city are white (Ethnicity: 78.3% White, and 18.9% S.Asian).
While the South Asian population in Bradford has grown, and there are areas which are mainly white and areas which are mainly South Asian, it is disputed whether segregation has grown over time, whether the phenomenon of white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
applies to Bradford, and whether one can accurately talk of ghettos in Bradford. At the time of the riot, Bradford Moor
Bradford Moor
Bradford Moor is an electoral ward in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. It is in the BD3 postcode area.The ward covers the areas of Bradford known as Bradford Moor, Laisterdyke and Thornbury...
was 67% South Asian, Toller
Toller
Toller is a ward in the City of Bradford metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.Councillor Imran Hussain is one of the current representatives for this ward. He is a Labour councillor and Deputy Leader of Bradford Council's Labour Group. He was first elected in 2002 with a majority of...
was 64 percent South Asian. Of the 17,512 people of Manningham
Manningham, Bradford
Manningham is an area of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, approximately a mile north of the city centre and is seen as the centre of the city's south Asian population.- Geography :...
13,049 were South Asian. Tong
Tong, West Yorkshire
Tong is a Ward in City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, named after Tong village which is its oldest settlement.- Geography :...
was 93 percent white, and Wibsey
Wibsey
Wibsey is a ward in the Metropolitan Borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. Wibsey is named after Wibsey village which makes up the main part of the ward...
was 91 percent white.
Flashpoint
On 22–24 June, there were riots in BurnleyBurnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
; two months previously, there had been riots in Oldham
Oldham Riots
The Oldham riots were a short but intense period of violent rioting which occurred in Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, England, in May 2001...
. Tensions rose after the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
attempted to organise a march in the city which was banned by Home Secretary David Blunkett under the Public Order Act 1986
Public Order Act 1986
The Public Order Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936...
. The Anti Nazi League organised a rally in Centenary Square in the centre of the city, which was allowed to proceed. During the course of the rally, a rumour was spread by some of the marchers that National Front sympathisers were gathering at a pub in the centre of Bradford. A confrontation then occurred outside the pub in the city centre during which a man was stabbed. According to the appeal court, this incident almost certainly triggered the riot. However, subsequent research amongst eye-witnesses contests this view with no single event being identifiable as a flashpoint.
Riots
The riot was estimated to have involved 1,000 youths. On the nights of 8 and 9 July, groups of between thirty and a hundred white youths attacked police and Asian-owned businesses, in the Ravenscliffe and Holmewood areas. Initially there were 500 police being involved, but later reinforcements increased this to almost 1,000. What began as a riot turned into a race-related disturbance, with targeting of businesses and cars, along with numerous attacks on shops and property. A notable point of the rioting was the firebombing of Manningham Labour Club, at the time a recreational centre. A 48-year-old Asian businessman was jailed for twelve years for the arson attack. The club reopened in the spring of 2006 on a different site, approximately one and a half miles away, on Bullroyd Lane, Four Lane Ends (The original site has now been redeveloped into a health and community centre and chemist).The most expensive act of the riot was the arson attack of a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
dealership, which had previously been attacked in a 1995 disturbance
Manningham Riot
The Manningham riot was a short but intense period of rioting which took place from 9-11 June 1995, in the district of Manningham in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England....
. Several riots followed a few days later.
Aftermath
More than 300 police officers were hurt during the riot. There were 297 arrests in total; 187 people were charged with the offence of riot, 45 with violent disorder and 200 jail sentences totalling 604 years were handed down. The last rioter was sentenced six-and-a-half years after the events; the number of convictions for riot was unprecedented in English legal history the next highest amount was five for an investigation in London. The estimated damage was put at £7 million. The heaviest sentence handed out in connection with the riots was that of the aforementioned Mohammed Ilyas, a 48-year-old businessman, who was found guilty of arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 3 July 2003.The Ouseley Report
Ouseley Report
The Ouseley Report, dated 7 March 2005, by the former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Herman, Lord Ousely, gave a long-awaited response to race relations in Bradford, whilst painting a picture of segregation and also a deep-rooted concern about crime.Lord Ouseley said there were...
released 7 March 2005 recommended a "people's programme" to bring harmony to the city. The government subsequently commissioned the Cantle report which made 67 recommendations. In 2006 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
produced a non-fictional drama, Bradford Riots, directed by Neil Biswas. The film tells the story of 2001 riots from the perspective of an Asian family.
See also
Recent sectarian violence:
- Oldham RiotsOldham RiotsThe Oldham riots were a short but intense period of violent rioting which occurred in Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, England, in May 2001...
- Harehills Riots
- 2005 civil unrest in France2005 civil unrest in FranceThe 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots by mostly Muslim North African youths in Paris and other French cities, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on 27 October 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois...
- 2005 Cronulla riots2005 Cronulla riotsThe 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence originating in Cronulla, New South Wales and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional Sydney suburbs....
Non-sectarian:
- 2008 Greek riots
External links
- Lidget Green Disturbance
- BBC:Bradford counts cost of riot
- BBC:summer of violence reports
- Telegraph: We were overwhelmed, say Bradford riot police
- BBC:2001:Two stabbed in Bradford race riots
- BBC:All quiet after Bradford riots
- BBC Summary of 2001 aftermath race riot reports
- Joseph Roundtree Report on the Bradford Riot from 2002
- Christopher Allen's 2003 Official Report into the disturbances
- The Guardian:Bradford riot sentences 'too harsh'
- Channel 4 drama- The Bradford Riots