Race Relations

[poliphilo]

Our friend Khadijah (who is support worker with Social Services)was in Royton yesterday morning and three times she had guys crusing past in cars shout racist abuse at her.

Royton is the suburb of Oldham where I used to be a vicar. It's a "nice" area- upwardly mobile, and almost exclusively white.

Race relations are edgy round here at the best of times, but it looks like they've got edgier since the London bombings. Leastways Khadj has never encountered anything like this before.

She said she wanted to go up to the shouters and say, "Look, I'm a nice person. I'm doing a useful job here. What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

Her boss would like to pull her out of Royton, but she doesn't want to go. "If I leave," she says, "they'll have won."

Comments

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

It's a "nice" area- upwardly mobile, and almost exclusively white

Is that the area that people were commenting on in particular after a round of BNP "success" in local elections a year or two ago?

This is a sad tale. I can see why she would want to stay, and why her boss would want to move her. At least that's two people trying to do the right thing.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Is that the area that people were commenting on in particular after a round of BNP "success" in local elections a year or two ago?

No- Oldham has always (just) avoided electing BNP councillors. I think the area you mean is over in Burnley.