Toxic identity politics ‘tearing’ us apart, says former Oldham council leader | Greater Manchester
“Identity politics is tearing communities apart,” the former leader of Oldham council warned in the week marking the 25th anniversary of race riots in the north of England.
Arooj Shah resigned as leader of the Greater Manchester borough in early May after local elections left the council without an overall controlling group.
The Shah now fears that the split vote in Oldham – with Labor losing to Reform England and pro-Gaza independents – could lead to political stalemate in other parts of the country.
More than three weeks after the elections, there is political stalemate in the district of 250,000; The parties have not yet agreed on leadership and terms of working together.
Shah said: “Division is not something places like Oldham need. The far right and far left are not healthy for anywhere. They instill raw anger in people; that’s absolutely dangerous.”
Tensions erupted following a series of riots that began in Oldham in 2001 and quickly spread to Burnley and Bradford. Since then, social cohesion projects in the district have meant “there have been no problems on the streets”, Shah said
But he said unsubstantiated “social media lies” about Labor covering up the town’s grooming gang scandal had poisoned town hall politics and intensified the “appalling, inhumane” racist and misogynistic abuse he had suffered while in office. a bodyguard review No evidence of a Labor cover-up was found.
“The politics in Oldham is absolutely toxic because the council has a Muslim leader and some people don’t accept that,” he added.
“They think I’m related because I’m brown [grooming gangs] But I am one of the strongest voices saying we need to deal with the perpetrators. The people most affected by this situation were girls.
“Being a woman in elected office from a marginalized community and working class background contributed to the level of abuse. I have voicemails saying, ‘You deserve to be raped and you deserve to die you bitch.'”
In 2021, the Shah’s car was burned. Last year a man was reported to the police for threatening to kill her. Events must be attended by Home Office security, and the offices of the council leader and chief executive have vandal-proof doors.
“I can’t go shopping. [the new Oldham] It’s a market I’m proud of, as long as I don’t have security,” Shah said.
Oldham bucks town center shrinkage trend with £450m investment renewal schemeand Eton college are planning to open a sixth-form academy in the town.
“Economic justice and social harmony are inseparable,” Shah said. “The problem we have in this country is class.”
Oldham last year Selected as the “most improved council” Shah was named “leader of the year” at the Local Government Chronicle Awards.
However, the plans were put on hold after Labor’s number of councilors fell to 18 in the May election; Reform is the second largest member with 16 members, while the Oldham Group of pro-Gaza independents has 10 members. An emergency meeting is planned for June 15.
Shah accused Reform and the Oldham Group of “weaponizing” migration and Gaza respectively.
He said: “You have the far-right saying to white working-class communities: ‘You’re left behind because of immigrants’, and you’re telling the Oldham Group: ‘Nobody cares about you, nobody did anything about Gaza.’ “I am pro-Palestine, pro-Israel and pro-humanity – (but) Netanyahu is not expecting Oldham to call Arooj.”
Reform said Labor had “learned nothing” from the local election results. Lewis Quigg, leader of Oldham’s Reform group, added: “Instead of talking nonsense, we continue to collect a huge amount of case studies from Labor councilors who have done now and said now for years. Labor has failed to serve Oldham.”
Oldham Group leader Kamran Ghafoor denied that “Gaza was armed” and said it was very important for people in the district. He added: “This is not ‘identity politics’, it is a politics based on belief and representation.
“The opposition alliance has repeatedly sought to engage constructively on the future governance of Oldham council. “No-one should face racism, misogyny or hatred in public life… We wanted his leadership to succeed on behalf of Oldham.
“Unfortunately, many residents now feel that the county is increasingly divided.”
Shah said: “What makes me so upset about the politics of identity and grievance is that when my family came here in the late 1950s, they did their best to integrate – everyone was the same.
“I look at this situation in my hometown and think: This is not the caring and resilient Oldham I know. Your divisiveness is tearing communities apart.”
