Community leaders in Oldham yesterday condemned a petrol bomb attack on the home of an Asian councillor in what police are treating as a racially motivated attack, Rachel Donnelly reports.
A week after racial tension between Asian and white youths in the area led to the worst race riots in Britain in 15 years, the home of Mr Riaz Ahmad, deputy Mayor of Oldham, was fire-bombed in the early hours of yesterday morning. The petrol bomb was thrown through a bedroom window of the house in the Chadderton area while members of Mr Ahmad's family, including his four children aged between six and 16-years-old, slept.
The deputy leader of Oldham council, Mr Chris Hilyer, said the attack would "sicken and sadden" right-minded people in the town. In a statement, Mr Ahmad, who has promoted greater understanding between the communities, appealed for an end to the violence: "This has got to stop. The majority of people in Oldham are law-abiding citizens. The community does not deserve this."