Warning over race riots in Bradford

Little progress has been made in tackling race
relations issues in Bradford, according to the former chairperson
of the Commission for Racial Equality.

Lord
Herman Ouseley, who wrote Community Pride, Not Prejudice
before the riots in northern cities last summer, told the BBC’s
Asian Network earlier this week that the recommendations in his
report had been largely ignored.

Ouseley’s report called for
initiatives to “introduce social inclusion, eliminate institutional
discrimination, highlight the strengths, successes and achievements
of the district, and endlessly promote diversity”.

But
Bradford Council leader Margaret Eaton said she was disappointed by
Ouseley’s comments. She said Bradford was definitely going in the
right direction, but warned that it would take years to address all
the underlying problems.

Meanwhile, current chairperson of
the CRE Gurbux Singh has urged Britain’s political leaders to show
a “united front against racism, xenophobia and the politics of
disunity”.

In an
open letter, following the recent electoral success in France of
right-wing politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, Singh wrote: “We too face
the threat of right-wing groups trying to seize the political
momentum and capitalising on people’s dissatisfaction with
mainstream politics.”

British National Party candidates
are standing in next week’s local elections in two of the northern
cities hit by race riots last summer – Burnley and
Oldham.