“Fascist scum out of Brum” (“fascist scum out of Birmingham”): Saturday, August 17, just over 300 demonstrators waited in the center of the second largest city in the United Kingdom for the hypothetical arrival of far-right activists. None of them came.
A long list of locations and dates, of unknown origin but widely circulated on social media, announced the arrival of the far-right English Defense League (EDL) group in the city. But it was only a rumour, like so many other online messages since the start of the riots that have gripped the United Kingdom following the knife attack that claimed the lives of three children in Southport on 29 July, falsely attributed to a Muslim migrant.
At the podium, speakers take turns to celebrate a city “proud of its diversity”. Just over a quarter of its population (1.15 million inhabitants) is of Muslim culture, and it also has a large community of Indian origin, making it a city “minority majority”in which ethnic minorities combined make up more than half the population. Unlike Liverpool, Belfast or Manchester, Birmingham did not experience far-right violence in early August. But even here, the Muslim community is anxious about the future.
Ali, met in front of a mosque in the center shortly before Friday prayers, explains that he was “very worried” when he discovered the first images of the riots in Southport. While he assures that “Birmingham, there are no problems”he also recounts having been accosted by a group of young people because of his skin colour, while he was making a delivery in a distant suburb, a few days earlier.
Fear of escalation
Fear is more palpable among women wearing the veil. Three young women encountered in the western suburbs of the city explain that since the riots, they avoid going out alone and are much more careful in the street, for fear of having their headscarves ripped off or, worse, being attacked with acid. No such incident has been reported recently, but many rumours of attacks continue to circulate on social networks and WhatsApp loops.
Beyond concerns for their physical safety, Birmingham's Muslims also fear escalation. Unfounded rumours of a “descent” A far-right thug attack on a mosque on August 5 led to a gathering of men, some masked, in the Bordesley Green area of the city's east end. In the early evening, the situation escalated, with a small group interrupting a live Sky News broadcast and then beating a man outside a nearby pub, mistaking him for a far-right activist.
You have 57.32% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
Source: Lemonde
