Council leader's column: "Working together will defeat those who want to divide us"

Council leader Neil Emmott

Neil Emmott is the leader of Rochdale Council and a councillor for West Middleton. This month he dedicates his column to current unrest in our communities, and gratitude to Greater Manchester Police for working hard in challenging times. 

In the current challenging climate, I would like to thank the officers and staff of Greater Manchester Police for all the work they are doing to protect our city-region.

At this difficult time, they have faced an exceptionally challenging situation and met it with bravery and professionalism. As leader of the council, and on behalf of my councillor colleagues, I would like to thank them for their swift action to keep our residents and businesses safe and the proactive approach they are taking to protect the community.

While some bad actors have stoked tension on social media over recent days and weeks, decent people across Greater Manchester have been working quietly on the ground to calm things down.

I am grateful to them and to all the public servants who’ve been working around the clock. As always, I am proud of the way people across Greater Manchester have once again pulled together to keep our communities safe. Only by continuing to work together can we defeat those who want to divide us. Compassion, tolerance and togetherness will always prove themselves stronger than hatred.

I also want to provide assurance that those who broke the law will be pursued by the police, and they will be brought to justice. We are already seeing that happen in places across the country where violence has erupted.

I am working closely with the Greater Manchester mayor and council leaders across the region. We speak in one voice when we say that there isn’t, and never will be, a place for hatred or violence.

It is understandable that what is happening in other parts of the country is likely to be concerning and to make people feel vulnerable, but residents can be assured that the necessary measures are in place to keep people safe.

As a council, and across our partner organisations, we will continue to work closely with Greater Manchester Police, The Home Office and other key partners to monitor the situation within our communities. The safety, protection and wellbeing of our residents will always be a priority.