Asian cab driver killed in Bury
Outrage at Tariq’s murder
TARIQ JAVED, an Asian cab driver, was murdered in Bury, Lancashire, last week. His family and the community believe that there must have been a racial motive for the brutal attack, and police are now treating it as racially motivated. Tariq went out to collect passengers who called for a taxi. His killers beat him and then drove over him twice.
He died in the arms of a young girl who tried to help him. Cab drivers immediately rallied in support of Tariq’s family and four children. The following day up to 1,000 cab drivers from across east Lancashire drove around Bury in protest at the racist murder. Cab drivers launched a three-day strike and held daily demonstrations.
Most cab drivers in Bury are Asian. Two years ago a cab driver was murdered in Bolton, and a few months ago attackers tried to strangle another driver. One of the cab drivers told Socialist Worker, “It is only because of the stand we have taken that the police accept Tariq Javed’s killing is a racist murder. “There have been several violent attacks on us. We have been complaining to the police for ages, but they don’t do anything. Six months ago the police even charged one of us with kidnapping when a passenger had refused to pay and the driver took them back to where they had picked them up, and called the police.”
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