00:00The stabbing to death of three young girls in the north-west English town of Southport
00:06last week has been seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups, with disinformation
00:11spread online and amplified by high-profile far-right figures to spark disorder across
00:17Britain.
00:19Malaysia has issued a safety warning for its citizens living in the UK or planning to travel
00:24there.
00:25Zahra Ghazali is a journalist who lives in Sheffield with her husband and daughter.
00:29Sheffield has always been a multicultural city and it is also labelled a city of sanctuary
00:38for immigrants.
00:40So we have always been welcoming to other people from other countries.
00:45So when these far-right rioters, protestors came down to Sheffield last weekend, they
00:56were really outnumbered.
00:57I think it was only like five of them who turned up and then we had counter-protests
01:03from anti-racism crowds and then they kicked them out and then these fascists were arrested
01:14as well by the police.
01:17We take these precautions like we would avoid going to crowded places, we would avoid going
01:23into the city centres and then we would avoid going into big cities around England particularly
01:32and then just because you never know what's going to happen.
01:36And then we also heed to the calls of Bismarck Putra, Bismarck Putra says avoid large gatherings
01:42and everything like that and then we have to sign up with them so in case anything happens,
01:48I mean they know our whereabouts.
01:51But working as a journalist, I have to pick up all these rioters, riots that are happening
01:57all over England.
02:00So I picked up stories about what riots and then I look at their TikTok live, YouTube
02:07live and then I think it's scary, especially for people of colour, especially visibly Muslim
02:19like me, you are an easy target.
02:27Even though it's not happening to you, it doesn't mean it's not happening in other places.
02:32So that's why I think that taking all these precautions is very important.
02:40So I feel like this riot has started because of, it's also about the killings of the three
02:48girls in South Park and then it also stems from other issues, touching the religion.
02:58I think because these far-right fascists, these rioters, they are instigated by people
03:08like Tommy Robinson, politicians like Najal Faraj, all these right-wing leaders who always
03:16instigate anti-Islam, anti-immigrant sentiments, they always claim this hatred.
03:24And then they always blame any problem on immigrants, like the fall of the NHS and then
03:34the housing crisis.
03:36So they think that immigrants are just an easy way out for them to blame anything.
03:41The Tory government previously, they want to cut down on the number of illegal immigrants
03:48and also legal immigrants as well.
03:52So even as myself, because I'm a legal migrant worker here, we are also affected in a way
04:00because of that.
04:01So far, do you think that has the government, local authorities or even other organisations
04:10taken any action to protect the minorities?
04:13Oh yes, the government has announced, I think two days ago, that they said they will increase
04:19police presence and places of worship, like mosques especially, and then they will crack
04:25down on these rioters.
04:27So I think almost 400 arrests have been made so far since the riots took place all over
04:34England.
04:35But I wish that the government is more stern in their stance, to call out what the US is.
04:47You should call out that it's actually Islamophobia, that it's not just a race riot.
04:55Because mosques were targeted and then we have heard in the grapevines that on Wednesday
05:04that these far-right rioters would attack immigration centres all over England.
05:13So I think the police and the government should do a lot more to protect the minorities, that's
05:20for sure.
05:21Because we cannot help but not feel safe because these racists, because we don't know for sure,
05:28because they walk amongst us.
05:30So you just don't know when it's going to hit you.
05:33I just hope that this will all blow over soon, because it's summer holidays, I mean, personally
05:42we have to change our plans, we stay at home most of the time.
05:47This is a time that you actually want to spend time with your family, go out, take a road
05:51trip or whatever, but that has been hampered by these riots.
06:01I think it's something, it's 2024, I mean, I think it's ridiculous for minorities not
06:09to feel safe in their own community.
06:12So I think the government should do a lot more to protect the minorities, that's for sure.
