The riots in summer 2024 hit me hard
Zulf blogs about his experiences of last summer's racist riots in Burnley.
As a PCS representative of two decades, the riots in summer 2024 hit me hard.
The Southport stabbings, which saw three beautiful young girls brutally killed, shocked us all. But lies spread fast, falsely blaming a Muslim asylum seeker.
Far-right mobs, spurred on by Tommy Robinson and others, targeted mosques and asylum seekers’ homes in Rotherham, Sunderland, and throughout the UK.
Bricks flew, fires raged, and Muslim communities were gripped by fear. In Burnley, community activists I work with spoke of dread, and Muslim PCS members told me they were scared to walk the streets. “Families are double-checking locks,” one said, their voice heavy.
Decades of austerity and inequality fuelled this anger, but the far-right twisted it into hate. Yet in Manchester, I joined thousands of trade unionists, Muslims and ordinary citizens who gathered to counter-protest under the banner of Stand Up to Racism to protect our communities.
Holding our PCS banner, we proudly chanted: “Refugees welcome". I saw Burnley activists stand tall, their resolve unbroken. That was the Britain I fight for.
Over 12 months later, the fear still lingers for Muslim members in Burnley, a reminder that our work to build solidarity with one another should be a central campaigning issue for PCS."