Tariq Jahan: Hero of 2011 riots keeps memory of son alive with aid for Lesbos refugees
'I try to get on with what I'm doing in memory of my son and do whatever good I can do. It keeps me together. If I didn't have this I think I wouldn't be able to cope'
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Your support makes all the difference.A Birmingham man credited with preventing tit-for-tat violence after his son was killed in a hit-and-run during riots in 2011 is preparing to fly to Lesbos to help distribute 15 tonnes of goods he has collected for refugees.
Tariq Jahan was declared a hero following his emotional appeal for calm on the streets of Birmingham after his son Haroon, 19, was killed along with friends Abdul Musavir, and Shahzad Ali as they tried to protect property from rioters.
A shipping container full of clothes, shoes, sleeping bags and tents is being transported to Lesbos where Mr Jahan, 50, will meet it with a team of volunteers. "As soon as we hit the ground we will start distributing things to the camps," he told The Independent.
In addition to winter clothing and footwear, Mr Jahan and volunteers have collected essentials such as non-perishable food, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shower gel, toilet paper and nappies.
"Most of the refugees arriving in Lesbos are carrying on their journey to other European countries. We want to help feed and clothe them and help them move on," said Mr Jahan, who is concerned the Government's attitude toward refugees has hardened. The image of the dead body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi "awoke the passions of the people", said Mr Jahan, galvanising the public to demand the Government help resolve the refugee crisis. "Have we forgotten that moment? I've been out to the camps in Syria. Where is our humanity? It really hurts me; [when I] see the suffering of the Syrian people, mine becomes so minuscule."
Recalling the loss of his own child, he said: "I try to get on with what I'm doing in memory of my son and do whatever good I can do. It keeps me together. If I didn't have this I think I wouldn't be able to cope."
Engrossed as he is with his charitable work, he is still seeking justice for Haroon. In 2012, eight men were each cleared of three charges of murder at Birmingham Crown Court. A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission criticised elements of the West Midlands Police inquiry into the three deaths.
"The whole trial was a catalogue of errors on all sides. The jury had no option but to find the defendants not guilty," said Mr Jahan. An online petition calling for a public inquiry into the police investigation has attracted more than 17,500 signatures.
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