Flashpoint
On 22–24 June, there were riots in Burnley; two months previously, there had been riots in Oldham. Tensions rose after the National Front attempted to organise a march in the city which was banned by Home Secretary David Blunkett under the Public Order Act 1986. The Anti Nazi League organised a rally in Centenary Square in the centre of the city, which was allowed to proceed. During the course of the rally, a rumour was spread by some of the marchers that National Front sympathisers were gathering at a pub in the centre of Bradford. A confrontation then occurred outside the pub in the city centre during which a man was stabbed. According to the appeal court, this incident almost certainly triggered the riot. However, subsequent research amongst eye-witnesses contests this view with no single event being identifiable as a flashpoint.
Read more about this topic: 2001 Bradford Riots