Letters to the Editor

I came to live in Bradford from Kiev in 1961 and worked at Lister's Mill until 1981. My family led a peaceful existence in Emm Lane until I moved to Shropshire in 1984 after my wife died, to be nearer my eldest daughter.

Life in Bradford was hard but the rewards were there and the local people were tolerant and fair.

The Ukrainian, Polish and West Indian communities have all found England a place where you could succeed if you work hard and integrate with the local people. We still had our own churches and clubs but learned to live and learn with the host population. Our children were taught discipline and learned to respect the law.

I appeal to the decent Pakistani and Bangladeshi community leaders - control your youth now before it is too late! Every attack on a white person, every home or property ruined by riots, means votes for the BNP. They must not gain control.

Having lived under a dictatorship before I came to the UK, I know what tyranny is like.

Jaroslav Bodhan Meniuk, Bartons Lane, Market Drayton, Shropshire.

SIR - Re the letter "I'm no rioter" from Ameer Patel (July 12). Yes, it may be true that a significant number of the rioters involved in the incident were of Pakistani origin. However, I am shocked at the arrogance contained within the comment "Indians are far more willing to integrate... Our children achieve higher levels of academic qualifications."

Being a Pakistani myself, I find this comment offensive. I work hard and have achieved qualifications of a desirable standard and am aware that many people of my generation in the Pakistani sub-culture do so too.

Such a generalisation is not only wrong but undermines integration between intellectually-blessed and those not-so-gifted individuals.

This does not mean that I condone the acts committed on that Saturday. Like most people, I found them to be inexcusable.

The writer of the letter refers to Indian children as "our" children. It is no wonder that integrity is lacking in many sectors of our community when some elders refuse to accept all the children of Bradford as the future, instead only looking out for their "own".

T Shah, Heaton Park Drive, Bradford 9.

SIR - It is nearly 20 years since I warned both the Council and the police that Bradford was sitting on a time bomb, as the Asians born in the city would take a different view to their parents who everyone saw as harmless. I was considered an alarmist. I was then chairman of Checkpoint and personnel officer for Social Services.

At that time the Afro-Caribbean youths were hounded by the police, and every effort made to criminalise our young men. Somehow the drug barons of the Asian community were able to ply their destruction of humanity without any fear and the NF terrorise the city with impunity, while honest citizens from these communities tried very hard to pretend everything was all right.

The persons appointed to manage cities like Bradford must understand the dynamics of the city and its ethnic and cultural mix. They must have the courage to make unpopular decisions that will benefit the city and all its inhabitants.

The dispossessed must have a voice and be taken seriously.

To recover from this mess, West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council must sit down and examine themselves and see their long- standing mistakes, which were not made last Saturday but several years ago.

Aubrey Deane, Alamanda Road, Christ Church, Barbados.

IR - Ann Cryer MP stated that immigrants should be able to speak English before they come into Britain and that 50 per cent of them can't.

We expect everyone to speak our language but 80 per cent of the indigenous population cannot speak any Asian languages.

If we all got together on a one-to-one basis, how easy it would be to pick up the language of the other. We have so much to learn from one another, and it could be fun.

Bradford is like a tapestry, a rich mixture of individuals, most of whom want to live in peace, and the more we understand each other, the more abundant will be our lives.

Let's change the way we think and Bradford once more will lead the way.

Joan Foulds, New Line, Greengates.

SIR, Like many Bradfordians, I'm struggling in a long, and often painful, rebuilding of hope in our city.

However, it's a fragile process. Setbacks come easy. I almost put my head in my hands when I read Burnley Councillor Mozaquir Ali's demand that Ann Cryer, in the wake of her comments about intercontinental marriages, be prosecuted for inciting racism.

If there's to be any hope at all for reconciliation between our communities, it must be preceded by an open and honest debate. If the likes of Mr Ali continue to stifle the debate, we might as well hand 80 per cent of the white vote to the BNP.

David Pendleton, Longhouse Drive, Denholme.

SIR - There is a profound link between architecture and the political standing of a city. If the politics are a reflection of our moral and cultural position, surely then architecture is a material and physical manifestation to celebrate these ideals.

Over the recent months there has been a great deal of discussion about the future development of our city and the proposed new bars, hotels, and retail spaces.

While these facilities are an essential part of our daily needs, there appears to be an absence of discussion and evaluation on how these developments are defining our public spaces.

I believe it is this space, the public domain, the street, the village green, and the civic space that is critical in terms of how we represent and celebrate our achievements. We only have to look around the world to see the places that are most admired are those with these majestic and heroic public spaces.

Perhaps now the time is ripe to talk about the bigger picture in terms of our city planning and its public spaces, cultural events, places to celebrate these, and to provide a lasting framework for the future development of our city.

Vijay Taheem, VJ Associates Architects, Gaisby Lane, Shipley.

SIR - How I agree with Mr J Howarth (Letters, July 4) about excessive building in Clayton, Clayton Heights, and Queensbury.

Irreparable damage has already been done to the environment, and still it goes on!

The horrendous Westwood Estate is now being increased. More bulldozers have moved in this week despite objections. I wonder why a planning notice was put up (near Cooper Lane) when it was a fait-accompli that the estate was to be extended?

This Council does not respect anyone's views or wishes.

As the area is already decimated, it's heartbreaking to see field after field, tree after tree being destroyed. There seems little point in welcoming a new UDP.

Mrs Jillian R Smith, Highgate Grove, Clayton Heights, Queensbury.