The assault on Mr Chamberlain in the Westwood area was one of three racially motivated attacks last weekend in Oldham, which has a substantial Bangladeshi and Pakistani population. We are used to a rising trend in racial violence but last weekend was horrendous. None of my officers has seen graffiti or signs saying 'whites out'. Despite 60 per cent of the victims of last year's 572 racially motivated incidents being white, the police stressed that Asian youths were not the sole perpetrators. All ethnic groups are victims.
Violence fills the void.
The BNP said it would field two candidates in the elections.