1,500 pay tribute to top Sikh

MORE than 1,500 people gathered to pay their last respects to a shining light of the Sikh community in Manchester.

Dr Harkirtan Singh-Raud, from Fallowfield, died aged just 46 on Tuesday 4 May 2010 after an ear infection he had escalated to pneumonia.

People from all over the UK came to the city to pay their last respects to Dr Singh-Raud, who was an OBE and a magistrate, with hundreds of well wishers lining the streets near his home on Birchfields Road and following his cortege to the Sikh temple on Monton Street in Moss Side.

He will be missed most by his wife Rani Kaur and daughters Harsimran, eight and Aman, seven,

Speaking to Manchester Evening News Jarnail Singh-Raud, the doctor’s nephew, said: “In 46 years he achieved so much, but he was always striving to achieve more. He wanted to be the first Sikh with a turban in the House of Lords and I have no doubt he would have got there.”

To read the rest of this story visit the main Manchester Mouth website.

Amaechi votes Labour

JOHN Amaechi has said that he voted Labour despite the recent controversy surrounding the prime minister.

The Manchester-born basketballer, who was the first NBA player to come out as gay, revealed which way he had voted in the election via his Twitter account.

If you would like to read the rest of this story visit the ‘Sport’ section of the main Manchester Mouth website.

Six MPs back anti-EDL Manchester protest

By Will Astbury

SIX Greater Manchester MPs have have signed statements condemning the English Defence League protest.

The English Defence League (EDL) is an organisation that is against Islamic extremism in Britain and claims to reject fascism, the British National Party (BNP), and that it welcomes any race or faith into the organisation.

EDL say it is planning a peaceful demonstration in Manchester city centre on Saturday 10 October.

This news has caused a huge reaction from many anti-racism and anti-fascist organisations. Former Labour Cabinet minister and Bolton MP Ruth Kelly has signed the a Unite Against Fascism (UAF) petition condemning the EDL, along with Liberal Democrat MPs John Leech (Manchester Withington) and Paul Rowen (Rochdale), and Labour MPs Graham Stringer (Manchester Blackley), Dr Brian Iddon (Bolton South East) and Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish).

Tony Lloyd (Labour, Manchester Central) has signed the Hope Not Hate petition.

Manchester City Council have also called for a ban on the EDL rally after the EDL’s earlier protests in Luton and Birmingham resulted in serious public disorder and dozens of arrests by police.

At the Birmingham event more than 90 arrests were made. It is not clear whether the violence was started by the EDL or by individuals or organisations that oppose it.

Greater Manchester Unite Against Fascism (GMUAF) is organising a counter protest to the EDL’s rally in Manchester on the same day at Piccadilly Gardens at 12 noon.