"It's petrifying going to sleep at night"
Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq said his family members in the Rotherham area have felt unable to go out and live normally amid the “frightening” violence.
He said: “We’re not so far away either, it’s really worrying times for all of us concerned.
“On the family groups, everyone’s checking in on each other, staying in communication and keeping each other safe.
“It’s petrifying going to sleep at night in your home and not feeling safe – it’s not something you should be thinking about but that’s the situation for most people right now.”
In Rotherham on August 4, 2024, masked anti-immigration rioters broke into a hotel housing asylum seekers, throwing chairs and long pieces of wood at police.
At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was left unconscious.
Azeem Rafiq said his relatives have avoided going out alone and are monitoring where the riots are “to keep out of harm’s way”.
He told Sky News: “Everyone’s encouraging each other to, if there is some necessity to go out for, then you are not on your own but if you can avoid it then do that.
“That’s the same for my family. We’re speaking, trying to monitor where these riots are, to try keep ourselves out of harm’s way.”
Rafiq, who previously spoke out about racism in cricket, praised Home Secretary Yvette Cooper for offering emergency security to mosques but called for protection to go further.
He said: “I think that was important and the right step. I know it has already made a difference.
“We’re in constant communication with the mosque, taking instructions from there so I do think that was a good step forward.
“But as we’ve seen in Rotherham with the hotel, nothing seems to be able to rein this in.
“It still feels like a ‘let’s see what happens next’ situation.”
“Protecting the mosques, our places of worship is a good start but there needs to be a bit more than that over the next few days and months.”
Violent scenes involving the far-right have erupted across the UK, including in Manchester, Liverpool and Belfast.
In Hull, a mob dragged a man out of his car and hurled racial slurs.
Meanwhile, in Middlesbrough, rioters were stopping traffic to check if drivers were White or English.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the violence and vowed rioters would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery”.
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