Hope for calm amid hate crimes

Noor Miah was a student when riots broke out in northern England in the summer of 2001, with angry young British South Asians clashing with police after a series of racist attacks and incidents.

- Noor Miah

The northern town of Burnley was engulfed in the riots which began an hour away in Oldham, as the far-right stoked racial tension and minority communities accused the police of failing to protect them.

More than two decades later, Miah recalled that dark period as he tried to calm Muslim youths in Burnley after several Muslim gravestones in the local cemetery were defaced and far-right riots targeted mosques in nearby cities.

"2001 was a difficult time for Burnley. We have moved onwards since then, picked ourselves up.