"During this very difficult time in which two young men have
already lost their lives, what is needed from African, Caribbean, Muslim
and other
Asian communities is solidarity and responsible leadership in the face of
problems which affect us all.
"Much of the public debate about the disturbances
in Birmingham has missed the point in identifying the root causes of these
terrible events. While tensions undoubtedly exist, we reject the assertion
that there is a 'race war' between the African Caribbean and Asian communities.
This simply does
not explain the problems our communities are facing.
"The real problem facing us is the widening gap between rich and poor, which
disproportionately affects the African, Caribbean and Asian communities.
At the same time the continuing scourge of institutional racism and deep-seated
discrimination keeps our communities at the bottom of the economic and social
ladder. We reject any attempts to divide our communities whilst the root
causes of our common problems remain un-addressed and hidden from public
view.
"We the undersigned call upon our communities for unity in the face of our
difficulties. We demand strong action against racism, poverty and deprivation
and for equality of opportunity.
"We the undersigned seek to show comfort to the families that have lost loved
ones and solidarity to all communities in the fight against violence and
race hatred."
Pav Akhtar, NUS Black Students Campaign
Milena Buyum, National Assembly Against Racism
Karen Chouhan, 1990 Trust
Denis Fernando, National Black Students Alliance
Lee Jasper, Operation Black Vote
Simon Woolley, Black Londoners Forum
Salma Yaqoob, Birmingham Central Mosque spokesperson