I suffered racial abuse during my election campaign but ignored it
Last updated 09:06, Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Carlisle goes to the polls on Thursday to elect a third of the city council. The anti-immigration British National Party is contesting eight of the 16 seats. Last year it surprised the established parties by coming second in Currock.
The Labour candidate who saw off the BNP that day was Abdul Harid, a leading member of Carlisle’s Bangladeshi community and the city’s only Asian councillor.
He said: “It was an intimidating experience.
"Being an Asian candidate does make you feel vulnerable to those sort of people. I suffered racial abuse on the streets during the campaign but I simply ignored that and got on with it.”
Mr Harid, a 39-year-old father of two, lived in Oldham and London before moving to Carlisle 15 years ago.
He is a successful businessman, owning the Dhaka restaurant in London Road, Nowab in Lonsdale Street and the Curry Master takeaway in John Street, Caldewgate.
But he is deeply sceptical of the BNP’s claim that it is heading in a fresh direction.
Under its Cambridge-educated chairman, Nick Griffin, the BNP has ditched the overtly racist policy that called for the expulsion of non-whites from the UK.
It now advocates grants to encourage “non-indigenous” residents to leave the country.
But Mr Harid believes that the BNP creates tensions that would not otherwise exist.
He said: “The Bangladeshi community is probably the largest ethnic community in Carlisle and we fear the BNP.”
Mr Harid does his bit to promote good relations, organising visits for school children to the city’s mosque in Brook Street. He disputes one of the BNP’s main claims that immigration has been bad for the UK.
He said: “There are at least 16 Bangladeshi-run restaurants and takeaways in Carlisle.
“They all employ local staff and contribute to the economy and the social life of the city.”
Mr Harid also defends the latest wave of immigrants from eastern Europe – nearly 5,000 have entered Cumbria since 2002.
He added: “Immigrants don’t take our jobs.
“They fill vacancies that are difficult to fill with local people.
“We benefit from the taxes they pay and their spending power.”
Gareth Ellis, a former Conservative city councillor who is standing in Dalston next week, is acutely sensitive to racial tensions because his wife, Shai, is Nigerian.
But he sees little evidence of racism in Carlisle.
He said: “Shai has lived here for more than four years.
“Within two weeks of arriving she got herself a full-time job and she’s never been made to feel unwelcome.
“The people of Carlisle have been friendly all the time she’s been here.
“She’s never had sly looks or comments.”
Mr Ellis believes the BNP picks up protest votes because the established parties, and the government in particular, have failed to debate immigration.
He said: “It’s been a taboo subject.
“When Michael Howard [the then Conservative leader] raised immigration in the 2005 general election, there were people calling him a racist.
“Labour has only started talking about immigration now because they are frightened by the BNP.”
LABOUR is hoping that next week’s elections will see it take control of Carlisle City Council for the first time since 1999.
There are 52 councillors – 25 Labour, 19 Conservatives, seven Liberal Democrats and one Independent.
Sixteen seats will be contested – a net gain of one for Labour would probably be enough for it to take control.
But the party suffered a setback this week with the postponement of the election in Upperby following the death of BNP candidate Les Griffiths.
The poll there, which Labour was expected to win, will now take place on June 12.
That means Labour will be one councillor short when the council meets on May 19 to elect a leader and mayor.
Conservatives have run the city council since 1999, latterly with the support of the Liberal Democrats in the crucial votes to elect the leader and mayor.
Morton is Labour’s best chance of a gain next week while the Conservatives aim to take Labour-held Yewdale and Belle Vue.
They came close to winning both last year.
The Liberal Democrats hope to hold Morton and Dalston where group leader Trevor Allison won by one vote when he last stood in 2004.
Polling stations will be open from 7am-10pm on Thursday.
