In what can only be described as a heroic intervention, Councillor for the Green Party, Mothin Ali, and other Muslims intervened to prevent a riot in the Harehills area of Leeds. However, far-right activists like Jake involved themselves in sharing falsehood, pointing the finger at Ali for instigating the orgy of violence.
The riots started from police intervention concerning a disorder connected with the kids of the Roma family being taken away. Self-organization escalated, and a police car was overturned, and a double-decker bus burned. People congregate around the bonfires set on the opposite sides of the road; the police, once again, do not look like they are present.
Ali, a newly elected Green Party councilor, stepped in immediately and did not wait to see more destruction. He caught a wheelie bin being thrown towards a fire and got into a face-off with rioters to save houses. With the effort of other people in his community, he managed to put out the fire and clean up the affected area.
Earlier, Ali and another councilor, Salma Arif, tried to intervene in the conflict between the police, agency workers, and the suffering family. However, to the amazement of no one, far-right Islamic haters were quick to point the finger at Muslims for the disorder. Tommy Robinson, a well-known figure, and Paul Golding of the Britain First party slanderously claimed that Ali took part in the looting. From across the Pond, even the man who leads the Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, has been issuing misleading information that feeds on people’s fear.
Thus, these false accusations were met with the reaction of Leeds Central MP Alex Sobel, who condemned Farage for misinformation and demanded an apology. The West Yorkshire Police also condemned misinformation being posted on the different platforms.
Although, earlier in his career, he was criticized for his Taylor speech and received death threats for a pro-Palestinian victory speech, people appreciated his actions during the riot. Another British political minority that reacted similarly positively was the Muslim Greens, an official affiliated body of the Green Party of England and Wales, who called him a ‘hero’ and said he was ‘the best of us’.
The conspiracy theories spread by personalities of the extreme right not only misrepresent what happened in Murdock but also expose that the fight against fake news and racism is far from over. The various social media and community members followed the lead swiftly to post a true and accurate account of the event, showing that Ali focused on calming the other person and that he was all about the welfare of the people in the community. This common practice of challenging the socio-political discourse plays a significant role in promoting the values of truthfulness and togetherness as the counteraction to the politics of division. Thus, while Ali continues practicing in Leeds, one must remember the role of a powerful example set by the local leaders for establishing peace and unity among the population.
