- guardian.co.uk, Monday June 25 2001 17.02 BST
More than 100 white and Asian youths threw bricks and stones over two consecutive nights in the Lancashire mill-town, 30 miles from Oldham's scenes of racial violence earlier this month.
Burnley's Asian community leaders said the skirmishes were spontaneous, isolated incidents sparked by a dispute over loud music. The town, with a 6% ethnic minority community of mainly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, has no history of racial tension.
But the BNP gained a surprise 11.2% of the vote in the election and community leaders warned that violence could continue if outside forces actively came to the area to stir tension.
Last night, Asian shopkeepers said they expected their windows to be smashed in the next 48 hours.
One Asian man said: "This is nothing like Oldham. Whites and Asians all socialise together. My fiancee is white. No one expects any more fighting. But if pub windows get smashed, there will probably be retaliations on our property. Racial attacks - that's what Britain's all about, isn't it?"
The weekend's violence began on Saturday at 4am, when an Asian family asked white partygoers next door to turn music down. Some whites allegedly responded with threats, saying: "We will sort you out."
A van arrived which Asians believed had been used to carry BNP banners during the election campaign. There were skirmishes between white and Asian youths. Soon afterwards, stones were thrown at an Asian taxi driver's car. When he got out he was hit in the face with a hammer, which broke his cheekbone. The next night, over 100 Asian youths threw bricks at a pub, smashing windows.
Rafique Malik, deputy mayor of Burnley, said Asians were angry the police had taken half an hour to reach the scene of the attack on the taxi driver.
Mr Malik said: "People were very angry. If the police took half an hour to arrive after the taxi driver was attacked what faith do we have that they will protect our people?
"This is not another Oldham. I believe this will die down. If there is any trouble it will be caused by outsiders. I have been a councillor here for 24 years and a substantial majority of the electors are white. This is not a racist community. I have always had the full support of white people.
"Sometimes the BNP leaflets white households and the residents bring the leaflets to me, saying they want the BNP out of the area."
Marie Coulston, who runs the Duke of York pub which was hit with bricks, said: "In two and a half years I have never had trouble before."
Lancashire police would not comment on the time it took to reach the scene of the taxi driver's attack.
