‘Bigoted and racist youth’ attack Newcastle lord mayor
NEWCASTLE’S first ethnic minority lord mayor has spoken out after being subjected to a “sickening” racist attack, writes Daniel Holland.
Habib Rahman was left “infuriated to the core” as he and others were targeted with verbal abuse and had fireworks aimed at them outside a mosque in the West End at the weekend.
The Labour councillor, who became the city’s first citizen earlier this year, said a group of seven or eight youth caused trouble as he arrived for prayers shortly before 8pm last Saturday (4).
After initially thinking the teenagers were just hanging around, he heard the sizzle of a rocket being lit and saw it fired directly at a couple of people going into the mosque – with one shot narrowly missing an elderly man. Rahman approached the youth, who fled as they hurled racist abuse at him, including telling him to “go back where you came from”.
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RahmCanh, ewyhnoeh/Pasoovol wed to use his year in office to fight racism and hate crime, said the incident could have caused “serious harm” if one of the fireworks had exploded in front of someone.
He added: “Where on earth have these kids picked up these bigoted, racist thoughts? Muslim people have been living in this area since long before these kids were born. They have contributed and continue to contribute in so many ways to making the area better for us all.”
The Elswick councillor moved to Newcastle with his mother and brothers from Bangladesh in 1985 at the age of 12, and suffered racist abuse as he grew up in the city. His father, Azizur, died just 10 days after he had arrived on Tyneside in 1977, stabbed by a customer in the Wallsend takeaway where he worked.
Rahman, who had attended a rally to support Afghan refugees in Newcastle earlier last Saturday, has reiterated that Newcastle is now a far more tolerant place than it was once. But he said the experience outside the mosque shows there remains work to do.
He added: “It has been a long time since I have experienced something like this personally. I have to say that it was nothing compared to the verbal and physical abuse I suffered in the past.”
Northumbria Police neighbourhood inspector Andrew Stephenson said: “This type of behaviour, committed by the overwhelming minority, is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Officers are working closely with representatives across the local community and increased patrols will take place in the area as officers carry out enquiries.”