Rioting on the streets of Birmingham indicates failure of Government’s policies on intergation
A man was killed and 35 others were hospitalised following the worst night of violence seen in Birmingham for 20 years. Cars were set ablaze and police in riot gear were attacked as the sound of gunfire echoed through the streets. The disorder involved members of the Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities.
A rumour, broadcast on a pirate radio station, of the rape of a fourteen year old Afro-Caribbean girl in a beauty shop in the Lozells area is said to have been the spark. Violence broke out after a public meeting and the shop was then attacked. The owner claims that the rumour was started by business rivals seeking to undermine him and harm his reputation. As of yet the girl at the centre of the rape allegation has not come forward. It is thought that she may be an illegal immigrant and is afraid of the implications for her and her family were she to talk to the police.
Police report some 80 crimes were committed during the riots. One police officer was shot and injured and numerous stabbings were reported. The man killed was 23 year old Isaiah Young-Sam, of Afro-Caribbean descent, who is said to have played no part in the riots. Three men have now been charged with his murder.
The night after the rioting, an 18 year old man was shot dead two kilometres from where the violence took place in what is suspected to be a related incident.
Is what we have witnessed in Birmingham a demonstration of Trevor Phillips’ (the Commission for Racial Equality chair) claim that we are “sleepwalking our way into segregation”? The communities of Lozells and East Handsworth are predominantly people of Asian and Afro-Caribbean descent. The two groups lead very segregated lives, going to different schools and not integrating nearly as much as one would expect, considering the densely populated nature of this area of the city.
Trevor Phillips also argued that the government simply isn’t doing enough to combat segregation within communities. Plans have recently been announced to increase the number of faith based schools which could be seen as a move that will result in communities growing further apart. This area of Birmingham has problems of unemployment and social deprivation. As the manufacturing industries move out it is becoming more and more difficult for the people who live there to find jobs. Escalating gang based violence is also making it increasingly difficult for community workers and others to get involved in what could be seen as the real backbone of the problem.
It is also worth pointing out that on the 27th October up to 70 black, white and asian women held a peace march in Lozells. The majority of people that live there do not want violence in their community, just happy lives for their families. Still, it is clear that more must be done to prevent further violence occuring.
Loading ...
