Zafar Iqbal is prepared for the British National Front (NF). He knows exactly what he will do if its members return to the predominantly Asian estate in the town of Bradford, northern England, where he lives.
"I have a sword ready at home and if some dumb bastard comes running towards me I will use it," said Iqbal, 24.
Such hardened attitudes among the city's Asian youth are one reason why many look with dread towards next weekend when white supremacists have threatened to gather in the city, aiming to spark off a race riot that could dwarf those seen in nearby Oldham and Burnley in recent weeks.
Though the NF will almost certainly be refused permission to march in Bradford on Saturday, its members are unlikely to stay at home. It was banned from marching in Oldham but that did not prevent it rallying and triggering Britain's worst racial violence in two decades.
The Observer has learnt that the NF and the violent extremist group Combat 18 plan to rally in Bradford on Saturday -- ban or no ban. They aim to follow their usual tactics, gathering in the city center, drawing off police resources, while small groups carry out attacks on Asian estates in the hope of provoking retaliation. Links have been formed with football hooligans eager for trouble.
Such tactics are hard for the police to counter. "There is a huge potential for disorder," said a police source in the city.
The news comes as tensions were heightened further yesterday after the firebombing of an Asian house in the Lancashire town of Accrington. No one was injured in the attack on the family of seven, who were sleeping upstairs at the time. Police said the attack was racially motivated. A greengrocers shop in Burnley was also set alight.
There is also concern about the formation of a new racist group, in direct response to the recent riots, called the Order of White Knights. It is believed to be made up of a handful of hardened Combat 18 extremists. Members can join only if they have a long record of activity on the far right and have carried out racist attacks, making police infiltration difficult.
News of the NF intentions on Saturday has already inflamed passions among the city's Asian community, which makes up about 20 per cent of Bradford's population of almost half a million. "Nobody's going anywhere that day, if the NF come here on Saturday they will be dead, that is as simple as that," said Iqbal. "Innocent white people are bound to get attacked as well. I am not justifying it, it just happens."
Youth leaders say some Asians have stored up petrol bombs in derelict houses around Bradford. Knives and other weapons have also been collected. Members of the city's drug gangs are also expected to be involved in violence using their arsenal of firearms. "If there's a big mob, it won't be just bricks, there will be shooters around," said one young Asian.
Police are preparing for a possible worst case scenario and have contingency plans to try to stop the NF from gathering. Members will be followed and police infiltrators are passing back information on possible meeting points. But the fear of widespread unrest is still great. "The NF are sparking stuff left, right and centre, and young Asians are responding," said Kamlesh Patel, an expert on ethnicity at the University of Central Lancashire, also in northern England. "It feels like it is going to escalate."
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