After grooming scandal, Rotherham moves to tackle far-right marches

AUTHORITIES in Rotherham are to take unprecedented steps to mitigate the impact of far right protests amid concerns about escalating community tensions and spiralling policing costs.
Far-right protestors march through RotherhamFar-right protestors march through Rotherham
Far-right protestors march through Rotherham

A special advisory panel will be set up to oversee rallies by groups that have repeatedly targeted the town as a result of a succession of child sex grooming scandals. The panel, which takes inspiration from the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, will be the first of its kind in the country.

It comes after a review commissioned by Alan Billings, the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, in the wake of clashes between Britain First and counter demonstrators when the far right group held a protest in Rotherham last September.

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Sheffield solicitor Andrew Lockley and Muslim scholar Mohammad Ismail, who published their findings today, found South Yorkshire Police had spent about £4m policing 14 protests in Rotherham since 2012. On protest days, trade in the town was estimated to drop by 30 per cent.

The report said there had been particular tension in the build-up to September’s protest following the racist murder in August of 81-year-old Mushin Ahmed on his way to morning prayers. It said: “Unless there is a new initiative, [South Yorkshire Police] will face the same dilemma... on future occasions of far right protest. The risk is, therefore, that the pattern of damage to community relations and to trade will repeat itself.”

Around 300 Britain First protesters took part in the rally in September. At one point counter-demonstrators had to be contained by police after “rushing” the far right group.

Clashes outside a pub later in the afternoon led to 20 arrests.

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The report said there had been a “failure” by police to appreciate the strength of feeling among the Muslim community before the rally and warned that “isolated” communities could become potential breeding grounds for extremism.

According to the authors’ recommendation, the advisory panel should comprise business and community leaders who would advise police on how to handle forthcoming protests. Members would also observe and report back on marches.

The report said: “The communities of Rotherham will have an independent body on their side whose whole purpose is to limit the negative impact of protests and to promote a united front against further attempts to undermine the health of the town.”

Dr Billings said he hoped to put together the panel as quickly as possible, but added that he supported calls for authorities to have the power to prevent repeated marches by far right groups.

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He said: “We don’t want to stop people from having the right to march and to demonstrate, but we do want to stop these repeated, cynical disruptive marches that do no good.”

The results of the review came as South Yorkshire Police said they had received a wave of new reports of child sexual abuse following the sentencing of six members of a grooming ring in Rotherham.

Four members of the same family along with two female accomplices were given sentences totalling more than 100 years last week. On Monday a fifth member of the family, 18-year-old Kaleem Ali, was found guilty of intimidating one of the victims.

Detective Superintendent Natalie Shaw, who heads the force’s protecting vulnerable people unit, said: “It is incredibly encouraging to learn that victims and survivors are becoming more confident.”