October 2013 - 3rd Edition
www.asianexpress.co.uk
Local
3
What they say: Kashif Qureshi I think it was a really successful day to be honest. We have to respect people’s rights for freedom of expression even if we disagree with them. At the end of the day they were always going to turn up and the police did a fantastic job to ensure the day was peaceful. It was good to see no youths getting overly-involved with either side this time as well. Previously, when the EDL visited Bradford, there were clashes between a lot of the younger demonstrators but they seem to have learnt from this. There seems to be a greater understanding from all sides on how to handle the event. Fareen Hussain Unlike previous years I didn’t hear a lot about the latest EDL protests which is surely only a good thing. I didn’t hear anybody on social media saying ‘let’s go down’ or anything like that; it just seems that the majority of people decided to simply ignore it. Local communities have learnt from the past and it was pleasing to hear no youths had got involved too. I think the creation of youth groups and community meetings has helped them realise that, by reacting to these protests, they risk giving Bradford a bad name and we don’t want that. “It is lovely to see so many people here today; you have got men, you’ve got children, women, everybody.” Sulina Ulah, director of Bradford’s Muslim Women’s Council added: “No organisation has the right to eat away the very scarce public resources that we have, not at this time of austerity. “Do we want people to get healthcare, social care or do we want policing for these violent, racist protests?”
Amjad Pervez The response by the churches, the Council for Mosques, and all religious organisations was an exemplary one. They showed how, as a community, everybody can come together to create this strong united front against the stupidity which was happening in the city. One of the biggest problems is the effect on local businesses. It is not fair. We live in a democratic society which gives everybody the chance to speak their mind however when it hampers businesses cash flow, which they need to survive, perhaps we need to look at other ways of staging these events. We don’t want the city to be known just for marches and the EDL and that is why there are lots of Bradfordians constantly working with the council to portray our city in a positive light.
“Yet again, Bradfordians have shown the level of community spirit which exists in our city and have not reacted to provocation.”
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