Ballad of Bradford fills streets on 10th anniversary of city riots

THE streets of Manningham echoed with a very different sound on the 10th anniversary of the Bradford riots yesterday as more than 1,000 youngsters broke a world record with a song for hope.

Police, civic leaders and youth services attended the landmark event to stress the regeneration that has taken place in the city and the improvement in community relations among its new generation.

Inspector Steve Dodds, who oversees the Manningham and Toller ward and helped to organise the day, said: “I was there 10 years ago and it was a pretty horrible experience.

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“An event like this shows that the city has moved on. It speaks volumes of how far we have come.

“There is a real pride in this area now – people are proud of Manningham and genuinely disappointed with the reputation it gets.

People are also really starting to identify with the local police and have really started to recognise us not just as a nameless faceless bobby knocking on the door.

“I am delighted.”

A total of 1,128 primary and secondary school children helped to break the previous record of 744 in front of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Roger Whittaker, who lives in the Bradford district and has a long relationship with the city.

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“In 2001, I was coroner for West Yorkshire and I remember it was a great relief to me that there was no fatalities,” he said.

“It was remarkable given the circumstances of that dreadful demonstration.

“I have noticed an improvement in community relations and I’m sure it goes down to a commitment from the organisations here and the residents that have lived in Bradford for a long time.

“The only way of living together is in harmony. The majority of people in Bradford are committed to that.

“Today is a proud day for the city.

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“A lot of the children here will not remember 10 years ago, and that is a good thing.”

The Yorkshire Post revealed yesterday that with unemployment soaring and extremist groups seeking to exploit the segregation and mistrust still embedded in Bradford, civic leaders have expressed real fears the deep wounds caused by the riots could reopen in the coming years.

Many vital regeneration projects have also stalled and unemployment in the city has now spiralled to more than 11 per cent, significantly higher than the 8.2 per cent in 2001.

A number of the youth services commended in the notorious 2001 Ouseley report into race relations in the city are now also struggling in the face of deep public sector cuts which council chiefs claim have hit Bradford disproportionately hard.

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Positive Bradford, which has been set up to help restore the image of Bradford and attract business into the city, says moving on from the riots of 10 years ago is a vital step forward.

Saleem Kader, co-founder of the group which is now supported by nearly 460 organisations, said: “We think it is really important to show everybody coming together from different cultures.

“There was a real positive vibe.

“We need to start getting the people of Bradford to be proud of what we have got.

“We set up the group because we wanted to start sticking up for ourselves.

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“The streets of 10 years ago are now sounding very different – long may it continue.”

The record is expected to be confirmed by Guinness World Records in the coming weeks.

HORIFIC DAY THAT LEFT £11M BILL

the events of July 7, 2001 were sparked by an attempt by the far Right to hold a demonstration in Bradford and led to predominantly Asian youths battling with the police in the worst rioting in mainland Britain for two decades.

The rioters caused £11m damage and left 326 police officers wounded with severe burns, cuts and broken bones.

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The worst affected areas were in White Abbey Road and Oak Lane, next to Lister Park. Manningham Ward Labour Club was torched with 23 people inside fortunate to escape without serious injury.

The police investigation into the violence led to 297 arrests and 200 jail sentences totalling 604 years.