Court reporting restrictions have been lifted following the sentencing of the 24 men involved in the disturbances which hit Limeside in May 2019, centred around the visit of Far Right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, commonly known as ‘Tommy Robinson’.
All of us know the dark days of 2001 are never too far away when we hear of disturbances or protests with an overwhelming divisive narrative based on race or religion.
We will not stand for our town being used as a battleground for hate and division, by the self declared English Defence League (EDL), likewise the self declared Muslim Defence League (MDL), or any other group for that matter.
The sentencing today should draw a line on a deliberate attempt to use Oldham as a battleground by people from out of town, and for anyone from the town who believe an appropriate response to objection is mob violence or intimidation.
That there were so many outsiders present was obvious, but it cannot, and should not, be brushed over that so many young men from our town were so quick to run towards conflict.
The result was very real fear in a community which did not ask to be involved. Police officers on duty to protect the local community were assaulted and there was a very real risk that it could have spilled over even further.
Events like this do not happen in a vacuum. This should be the point the social media companies and messaging platforms used to stoke tensions which play out daily is addressed properly by government for the significant part it plays in feeding hate and division.
The fact is clear that extreme and divisive politics has infected and infiltrated mainstream discourse in Oldham.
No mainstream political party, or any candidate who stands for the good of the town should be engaging, either fully or on the fringes, with organisations or individuals who rally for hate and division.
What has been playing out in Oldham has been called out by the anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate, by numerous newspapers including The Times, and just last month by a Home Office independent review. Yet it thrives and spreads everyday. It’s not okay and it needs robust and uncompromising action. That means mainstream political parties clearing out their ranks of any involvement. No ifs, no buts.
The vast majority of us want to live in peace, to accept and understand one another, and for a better life for all who call Oldham home.
We are not blind to the challenges, particularly the deep rooted economic and social issues which too often hold us down, nor are we blind to the obvious points of tension where different views meet. But what we don’t accept is for any of that to be exploited to divide our town.
READ FULL REPORT FROM THE Manchester Evening News here;
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/…/the-day-tommy…
Jim McMahon OBE MP 