The Oldham Riots - Long journey ahead towards breaking barriers

The Asian News marked the 10th anniversary of the Oldham riots earlier this year with a series of insightful articles around the disturbances. Happening before 9/11, those disturbances were to transform the way Britain viewed its Muslim communities, and also the way many Muslims viewed themselves.

Ten years on and we have witnessed more widespread civil disturbances, but not in predominantly Muslim areas. In reflecting back, what can we learn today? In order to learn lessons, OBV will be running the full series of articles written by Yakub Qureshi from the Asian News to mark the Oldham Riots - 10 years on.

From the Asian News:

Raz points to the long scar on the side of his head. The 21-year-old is one of a group of young Asian men gathered outside the barber shop in Glodwick.

It’s the middle of the afternoon but Raz and his friends have no jobs or classes to attend. Asked about the town’s race problems, Raz explains he spent a fortnight in hospital as a teenager following an attack by white classmates. The case went to court and his attackers were dealt with. He sees no reason for Oldhamers to integrate further.

"I’m happy with the way it is. I don’t see why it needs to change."

But Asad is more optimistic. Although like his friend, he has been unable to find work, he claims racial tensions in Glodwick are virtually non-existent.

He said,

"It’s a myth. Yeah, it’s mostly Asians here but there’s no trouble between the people who live here. I’d be happy if it was more mixed."

Glodwick is one of the oldest parts of Oldham, with references dating back to the 13th century. The row of red-brick terraces on Roundthorn Road could be found anywhere in the north west of England.

But in the words of one prosecutor, the predominately Asian street was transformed into ‘a battleground’ 10 years ago today after a flare-up with police.

Today, residents white or Asian vigorously reject the suggestion they were living in a racial ghetto. The Ritchie Report, published five months after the violence, described how segregated districts developed in Oldham over the decades.

Newly-arrived workers settled side-by-side in areas such as Glodwick, Westood, Coldhurst and Coppice. Existing families sold up and moved to leafier suburbs and high levels of owner-occupation limited the diversity usually brought about by the rental market.

But the report also identified the sad truth that some Asian and white residents simply ‘felt safer’ living among their own.

Choudhry Shapal and Zamier Siddique, both 31, who run a pizza shop on Roundthorn Road, agree it is now time for Oldham to shake off its reputation for racial trouble.

Choudhry said,

"Every time the riot is mentioned, people think about Oldham as being a racist place. Even my friends in Manchester think we are fighting all the time. I don’t think Oldham council does enough to promote the district and challenge this. There have been perhaps a few incidents on the road, but it’s not to do with race. It’s because of unemployment and the kids having nothing to do."

But others are more cautious about how integrated the town has become. Fear of the far right is common among many Asian households.

One resident said,

"People use the internet. If you know where there is one area where people support the BNP then you won’t walk through it."

The perception of hidden danger in other neighbourhoods is felt strongly by some white residents. But care worker Janice Lomas, 56, who has lived in the district all her life, said people should simply get over their fears.

She said,

"People say that they are frightened to walk past a group of Asian lads. But when you do they are usually very polite. Everyone needs to overcome the idea in their heads. They are someone else’s children."

The view is shared by Oldham’s new council leader Jim McMahon, who despite being Britain’s youngest local government leader, aged just 30, has been deeply involved in the town’s politics for nearly a decade.

He said,

"It’s the same fear that exists between generations. It’s like an old person not feeling comfortable walking past a group of young children outside a shop. Human nature says that people are most comfortable in their own surroundings. But we need to challenge people to go beyond their comfort zone."

On Roundthorn Road, where three quarters of residents on the street are Pakistani British, with the remainder being white families, there are no reports of racial tensions.

Another resident, who didn’t want to be named, added,

"It was the National Front who tried to disturb things. There was a tense atmosphere back then. People think this is still a bad area. But it was nothing like that. There never were big race problems in Oldham. It was just this one thing that happened. We are like any other place in the country. We are a normal place."

There are also positive signs of regeneration. New houses have been built and money has been spent on Barley Clough Medical Centre and the £6m Glodwick Primary Care Centre. Oldham town centre is set to benefit from the Metrolink extension and the creation of a £5m regional science centre.

The council and cross-body groups such as the Oldham Partnership are now taking a much more pro-active role.

Plans are also afoot for a series of new housing schemes each containing a mixture of properties designed to appeal to families and couples of all ages and race. But the development hinges on the recovery of the housing market. Youth unemployment in the town currently stands at a five-year high and with the bulk of Oldhamers employed in the public sector; the economic conditions could still damage the positive work.

Mr McMahon is realistic about how quickly deeply-rooted attitudes can change.

He said,

"Yes, it has been 10 years since the riots. Crime and hate crime has fallen. We are a safer place. Barriers have been broken down but it is going to be a long journey. The most important thing is that people feel Oldham has a future."

OBV is running a series from the Asian News to mark the 10th anniversary of the Oldham Riots.