Nigel Farage Accused Of 'Scaremongering' Over 'Bigoted' Comments About Oldham

"Oldham is not defined by Farage, or anyone else looking to stoke up tensions and create division."
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Nigel Farage has drawn condemnation after claiming streets in Oldham are “literally” divided by the colour of their residents.

Speaking to young libertarians at Lock Haven University, Pennsylvania, the Brexit Party leader described parts of the town that “on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side of the street everybody is black”.

He added: “The twain never actually meet, there is no assimilation. Whole streets in Oldham of people who have lived in my country for over 30 years who don’t speak a word of the English language.

“These, folks, are divided societies in which resentments build and grow.”

The comments were described as “scaremongering” and “just bigotry”. Labour MP for Oldham West & Royton, Jim McMahon accused Farage of “looking to stoke up tensions and create division”.

Oldham is not defined by Farage, or anyone else looking to stoke up tensions and create division

We are bound together by a shared future. We, more than anyone understand scale of the challenges our economy and communities face. But we rise to meet them together https://t.co/ofPBpbgxxZ

— Jim McMahon MP (@JimfromOldham) April 28, 2019

Another Twitter user claiming to be an Oldham resident invited Farage to the town to see the situation himself and said the real issues were the football team and the weather.

Hey @Nigel_Farage - come to Oldham and show us these streets you seem to know so well. Don’t get me wrong, we have issues - the football team is a bit crap, the weather’s usually awful and we really miss Scruples for a good night out but apart from that you’re talking utter shite https://t.co/wfXIblXb18

— Titus Bramblewidge (@bramblewidge) April 28, 2019

But another Twitter user claiming to be from Oldham agreed with Farage – to a point.

I've lived in Oldham for over 60 yrs and have been attacked more than once, for being white and on the wrong street. Not being able to speak the truth leaves the door open for Conservative politicians like Farage, and even worse. https://t.co/9QufPHPYh5

— Allan Jones (@Allan_J_Jones) April 29, 2019

According to the 2011 census, 77.5 percent of Oldham is white. The largest ethnic minority is Pakistani (10.1 percent) followed by Bangladeshi (7.3 percent).

Census data also shows these groups tend to live in the same areas of the town.

Ofsted reports also highlight schools where the vast majority of pupils are from ethnic backgrounds.

But there is no evidence of individual streets where “on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side of the street everybody is black” as Farage suggests.

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