Across a string of northern English towns Asians and whites alike are all wondering where next the riots could break out. Nick Griffin, leader of the Far Right British National Party, has no doubts there will be more trouble. Halifax, Huddersfield, Rotherham, Accrington, Keighley and Rochdale were just a few of the vulnerable communities, he said. "There is, I am sure, a lot more to come. It is remarkable no one has been killed yet," he said.
Griffin gave his chilling warning as police in Accrington, just six miles from Burnley, investigated a spate of petrol bomb attacks in the town. On Thursday night, fire-bombs were hurled at a Roman Catholic school and a DIY store.
Most of the troubled northern towns have several things in common. All are relatively poor, with a large pool of disenchanted white working class youths vulnerable to racist scaremongering. All also have significant Asian populations, usually Pakistani, that are equally deprived but have grown rapidly in recent years.
Another phenomenon driving the riots is the emergence of a generational gap between younger Asians and their community elders.
They were born here and are ready to defend their estates. Burnley taxi-driver Mohammad Aris said: "Gone are the days when people could call me a Paki. I am proud to be a Paki. I used to cross the road, but we are not going to do that now. We are going to fight."
After three nights of riots last week Burnley is still in shock. But the situation had been brewing for years. The actions of far-right extremists and the 4,000-strong vote for the BNP at the election were just the spark that lit the fire. "This has not come about overnight," said Rafiq Malik, Burnley's deputy mayor.
Oldham, too, is still tense. Metal fences have been erected in one key area to keep the two communities apart. That has angered some.
"Segregation is a recipe for hatred. It is a recipe for problems," said Judith Swift of Oldham United Against Racism. But the fence is unlikely to come down, making substantive the BNP demand for Belfast-style peace lines in the town.
So far Griffin and the BNP have been the only winners. From being an obscure leader of a racist fringe party, Griffin, a Cambridge-educated lawyer, has now been profiled in national newspapers and interviewed on BBC television.
David Baker, an expert on the far right at the University of Warwick, also in the north of England, said: "In the postwar period he is probably now the most intelligent and well-prepared leader the far right has seen. Certainly so in the last three decades."
But behind the suits and media savvy, the BNP hides hardened racist criminals in its ranks. The BNP's head of group development, Tony Lecomber, is known as "The Bomber" after an explosives conviction. He has also served time for his part in attacking a Jewish teacher on the London Underground.
The BNP is hoping to capitalize on the summer of violence to win council seats next May. More violence will only help its cause.
Last week Asian and white youths in Halifax held a mixed-race rave to ease tension. The event passed without incident. But the people of Halifax and other towns might yet find dancing will not be enough.
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