Green councillor Mothin Ali and other local Muslims played a crucial role in preventing a riot from escalating in the Harehills district of Leeds. But it still didn’t stop far-right grifters from spreading misinformation online.
The unrest began when police reportedly responded to a disturbance related to children from a Roma family being taken into care.
A police car was overturned and a double-decker bus set ablaze as disorder spread through the night.
Bonfires lit across the street where hundreds of people gathered, with police seemingly absent from the area.
Ali, a recently elected Green Party councillor, was seen actively intervening to prevent further damage, including tackling a wheelie bin thrown towards fire and confronting rioters to protect nearby homes.
He and other locals helped douse the flames and clean up the area.
Earlier, the 42-year-old and fellow councillor Salma Arif had attempted to mediate between police, agency workers, and the local family in question.
Despite these peace-keeping efforts, prominent far-right extremists trended online, blaming Muslims for the unrest.
False accusations from the far right
Far-right Islamophobes Tommy Robinson and Paul Golding from Britain First falsely accused Ali of rioting.
“Let me introduce to the newly elected councillor for the area rioting tonight in Leeds,” said the extremist far right leader Tommy Robinson. “Multiple reports he’s even on the streets with them.”
Even the Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage, missing from his constituency in Clacton and desperately seeking Donald Trump’s attention in the US, blamed the “politics of the subcontinent.”
Farage was accused of misinformation by the Alex Sobel MP for Leeds Central and Headingley.
West Yorkshire Police also denounced the “incorrect information on social media,” while social media users highlighted the hypocrisy of far-right figures
Ali “the best of us”
Following his May election, Ali faced media backlash and reported death threats for his pro-Palestinian victory speech.
But this time around, he is also getting praise. The deputy leader of the Green Party described him as representing “the best of us.”
Muslim Greens, an official affiliate group of the Green Party, also celebrated his bravery.
“The same press that vilified our Muslim Green Cllr @MothinAli is now celebrating his bravery in stopping rioters. We’ve known he’s a hero from day one! Thank you, Mothin!”
Image: Mothin Ali X account
