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| Ten Rotherham men in court accused of fight with far-right group Ten Rotherham men in court accused of fight with far-right group | |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| Ten men have appeared in court charged with violent disorder following a clash with a far-right group in Rotherham. | Ten men have appeared in court charged with violent disorder following a clash with a far-right group in Rotherham. |
| Most of the men were attending an anti-fascist demonstration in the town centre on 5 September 2015, a month after the murder of an 81-year-old Muslim man. | Most of the men were attending an anti-fascist demonstration in the town centre on 5 September 2015, a month after the murder of an 81-year-old Muslim man. |
| On the same day, a far-right group, Britain First, staged a protest in the town and more than 800 police officers were deployed from across the UK to keep the two groups apart. | On the same day, a far-right group, Britain First, staged a protest in the town and more than 800 police officers were deployed from across the UK to keep the two groups apart. |
| A jury at Sheffield crown court heard that it had been one of a long line of far-right demonstrations held in Rotherham in the aftermath of the child sex abuse scandals uncovered in the town in 2012. | A jury at Sheffield crown court heard that it had been one of a long line of far-right demonstrations held in Rotherham in the aftermath of the child sex abuse scandals uncovered in the town in 2012. |
| The men – Asif Zaman, Mohammed Saleem, Arshad Khan, Abrar Javid, Imran Iqbal, Nasrum Rashid, Moshin Mahmood, Sadaqat Ali, Shaban Ditta and Akaash Nazir – claim they were acting in self-defence. | The men – Asif Zaman, Mohammed Saleem, Arshad Khan, Abrar Javid, Imran Iqbal, Nasrum Rashid, Moshin Mahmood, Sadaqat Ali, Shaban Ditta and Akaash Nazir – claim they were acting in self-defence. |
| Zaman is also charged with a second count of carrying a knife, which he denies, and two other men – Haseeb Alam and Mahroof Sultan – have already pleaded guilty to violent disorder. | Zaman is also charged with a second count of carrying a knife, which he denies, and two other men – Haseeb Alam and Mahroof Sultan – have already pleaded guilty to violent disorder. |
| The jury was played various pieces of CCTV footage that showed two groups fighting in the street outside the William Fry pub in the South Yorkshire town before the police arrived. | The jury was played various pieces of CCTV footage that showed two groups fighting in the street outside the William Fry pub in the South Yorkshire town before the police arrived. |
| Paul O’Shea, prosecuting, said the far-right group was shouting “vile racist abuse” at the men, using language like “Paki bastards”. “Not exactly original but certainly offensive,” said O’Shea. | Paul O’Shea, prosecuting, said the far-right group was shouting “vile racist abuse” at the men, using language like “Paki bastards”. “Not exactly original but certainly offensive,” said O’Shea. |
| But, the prosecution said, the far-right group “got rather more than they bargained for” when they started a fight with the men on their way home from the counter-protest, finding themselves very quickly outnumbered. | But, the prosecution said, the far-right group “got rather more than they bargained for” when they started a fight with the men on their way home from the counter-protest, finding themselves very quickly outnumbered. |
| “Having started the trouble, as often happens in these sorts of circumstances, they found themselves in serious trouble themselves and on the receiving end of something they started,” he said. | “Having started the trouble, as often happens in these sorts of circumstances, they found themselves in serious trouble themselves and on the receiving end of something they started,” he said. |
| The prosecution said there was no doubt that “the other side” in the clash – who will be prosecuted at a later date – acted first but that the actions of the defendants could not be justified as self-defence. “The defendants were part of a large group that involved themselves in serious public disorder in Rotherham town centre … as the various marches dispersed,” he said. “There is no doubt that a large-scale public disorder took place and it amounted to, say the prosecution, violent disorder … You will not find the crown arguing anything other than the other side started it, but the crown say that what these accused did in response was a very long way short of self-defence.” | The prosecution said there was no doubt that “the other side” in the clash – who will be prosecuted at a later date – acted first but that the actions of the defendants could not be justified as self-defence. “The defendants were part of a large group that involved themselves in serious public disorder in Rotherham town centre … as the various marches dispersed,” he said. “There is no doubt that a large-scale public disorder took place and it amounted to, say the prosecution, violent disorder … You will not find the crown arguing anything other than the other side started it, but the crown say that what these accused did in response was a very long way short of self-defence.” |
| An investigation by the Times newspaper in 2012 alleged that gang rape and trafficking were widespread in Rotherham. A report in 2014 by Prof Alexis Jay, a former chief inspector of social work, concluded that failures of political and police leadership contributed to the sexual exploitation of 1,400 children by Asian men in the town over 16 years. | An investigation by the Times newspaper in 2012 alleged that gang rape and trafficking were widespread in Rotherham. A report in 2014 by Prof Alexis Jay, a former chief inspector of social work, concluded that failures of political and police leadership contributed to the sexual exploitation of 1,400 children by Asian men in the town over 16 years. |
| “Anyone who lives and works in the South Yorkshire area or, frankly, anyone living anywhere in this country will know about the child sexual exploitation issues that have dominated the news and media coverage for many months,” O’Shea told the jury. | “Anyone who lives and works in the South Yorkshire area or, frankly, anyone living anywhere in this country will know about the child sexual exploitation issues that have dominated the news and media coverage for many months,” O’Shea told the jury. |
| He said that while the people of Rotherham did not like the regular far-right marches that occurred following the scandal, “they did not involve themselves in substantial numbers in any counter-protests or marches” until the murder of Mushin Ahmed on 10 August 2015 as he made his way to the local mosque for morning prayers. | He said that while the people of Rotherham did not like the regular far-right marches that occurred following the scandal, “they did not involve themselves in substantial numbers in any counter-protests or marches” until the murder of Mushin Ahmed on 10 August 2015 as he made his way to the local mosque for morning prayers. |
| “It is in the context of that incident, which you can well appreciate caused shock and outrage in the local community, that on 5 September when yet another march was planned, the local community did involve itself in the counter-protest.” | “It is in the context of that incident, which you can well appreciate caused shock and outrage in the local community, that on 5 September when yet another march was planned, the local community did involve itself in the counter-protest.” |
| The case continues. | The case continues. |