Sighthill: Race murder ignites anger on the streets
Date: 6th Aug '01
Name: Lion Rampant
Country: Alba
The Herald: Monday 6 August 2001
Race murder ignites anger on the streets
WILLIAM TINNING, VICKY COLLINS, VALERIE HANNAH and KEITH SINCLAIR
THE murder of an asylum-seeker sparked angry demonstrations on the streets of Glasgow yesterday as serious racial tension erupted in Scotland for the first time.
A Turkish Kurd refugee who had been in the city for only a fortnight was stabbed to death by two white men early yesterday, in what police said was a completely unprovoked attack.
The victim, named by friends as Firsat Yildiz, 22, became the first asylum-seeker to be murdered in Scotland since the government introduced its dispersal policy of sending refugees to different areas of Britain.
His killing provoked a mass demonstration yesterday afternoon by hundreds of Turkish, Iraqi, and Syrian asylum-seekers in the Sighthill area, where most of Glasgow's refugees are housed.
Squads of police, some in riot gear, and the force helicopter were sent to deal with confrontations between the protesters and local residents.
The protesters then marched on the City Chambers and demanded urgent action by the council to protect them. Senior officers were forced to summon council officials to meet leaders of the demonstrators.
Talks were arranged for later today, and the police arranged for buses to take the protesters home. A mass vigil has been called for 3pm in Glasgow's George Square to coincide with the meeting.
A violent scuffle broke out in Fountainwell Road just after 7pm last night, as about 50 local residents blocking the road were moved on by police.
Later, about 70 local people were allowed to march down the road, near the murder site, under police escort. The crowds later dispersed.
Extra teams of police were patrolling Sighthill last night in case of further unrest. Police said there had been five arrests for minor offences throughout the day.
The murder follows a cycle of racial violence in northern England - the worst since the early 1980s - which started with an isolated incident in a pub in Bradford in mid-April, and was followed by disturbances in Oldham, Leeds, and Burnley.
Earlier, police admitted the murder could have been racially motivated, but a spokesman for the 1500 asylum-seekers housed in Sighthill was in no doubt.
Mohammed Narveen Asif said: "This murder was a deliberate racial attack on an asylum-seeker and that is fearfully tragic. The whole refugee community is now in state of real fear."
A police spokeswoman said the victim, who has not officially been named, was attacked by two white men shortly after midnight while returning home with a 16-year-old friend after eating a meal in the city centre.
They had crossed a footbridge spanning the M8 before entering park land near Fountainwell Road, where the 22-year-old was attacked.
He tried to get back to his flat in Fountainwell Place, but collapsed before an ambulance arrived to take him to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where he died.
Police are hunting two men, both aged about 28. One was of strong build with short hair and wearing a white sleeveless top and cream trousers. The other man was about 5ft 11in, slim, and wearing a yellow jacket and black trousers.
Detective Superintendent Alex McAllister said that the attack appeared to have been "completely unprovoked".
He added: "I want to reassure the entire community in Sighthill that we are doing everything possible. Unfortunately, this tragic incident comes at a time when attacks and assaults on asylum seekers have reduced significantly, when the entire community has been getting closer and closer together. It's important that all of this good work is not undone."
Race campaigner Aamer Anwar, speaking at the demonstration outside the City Chambers, criticised Glasgow City Council and the government for insufficient funding to tackle racial tension in Sighthill.
Nick Griffin, chairman of the British National Party, which recently distributed anti-immigration leaflets in the Sighthill and Pollok areas, last night denied that the party's action could have fuelled tensions. Mr Griffin said: "If this was a racially motivated attack, then we would condemn it outright. However, when a white person is attacked by non-natives, the police are extraordinarily reluctant to say that that was a racist attack, because they want to appear politically correct and non-racist themselves.
"That causes a lot of tension and resentment."
Councillor Bashir Maan, a high-profile Asian community leader and convener of Strathclyde joint police board, called for calm.
He said: "This is a tragic incident. I thought things were getting better until now. I do not think local people in general are intolerant of the asylum seekers, but there is an element who are racist and ill-informed."
Mohammed Sarwar MP said: "This is very, very sad news for all of us - not just blacks and Asians. It is a sad day for all Glaswegians and all the people of Scotland."
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