Crime & Safety
Oxford Folk Festival dancers and musicians in city centre
The festival is supported by many Oxford institutions and businesses, which provide locations for free performances.
The programme started on Friday and finished on Sunday, with organisers delighted by such a successful weekend – including some good weather.
READ MORE: Oxford Folk Festival will bring flash mob
Organiser Ginnie Redston said: “Attendance was very good, and that was a relief because we put on more concerts, ceilidhs, and workshops, including special educational needs events.
“This year Modern Art Oxford gave us full use of their cafe for the afternoons, so we programmed a succession of sets from a variety of fine local musicians.
“Another new location for our musicians and Morris dancers – was the Westgate centre, where we experimented with three ‘stages’ for our performers, one in Leiden Square, one on the roof terrace and one ‘Buskstop’ on the first floor.
“The manager at the Westgate was enormously helpful and encouraging, and made all our performers feel very welcome.
“On Saturday we opened the Leiden stage with a fanfare and short set form Oxford’s Horns of Plenty, a brass ensemble that started some years for the East Oxford Carnival.
“We then continued with sets of Morris dancing alternated with folk musicians who held the stage throughout the afternoon, until Celtic Heartbeat closed the afternoon’s activities with their lively traditional songs and tunes.”
Other venues and locations including Broad Street, the Covered Market and the Bodleian’s Weston Library.
The Old Fire Station cafe in George Street was another important location where on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening folk musicians singer-songwriters, Americana or 70s revival acts entertained audiences between 4pm, and 7pm.
Common Ground in Little Clarendon Street offered also hosted events on Friday and Sunday.
Ms Redston added: “Dance was everywhere, in the streets, and at indoor ceilidhs.
“They were also literally dancing ‘up on the roof’ on the roof terrace at the Westgate centre.
“Morris sides flocked to Oxford from all over the county and way beyond, bringing with them colour, high energy, traditional music, the percussive sound of sticks and staves and of course, the jingle of bells.”
In 2024, the news broke that the annual folk festival would be wound up, defeated by a lack of funds.
But a group of volunteers, including Ms Redston, took charge and the festival went ahead and has gone from strength to strength.
After the volunteers stepped in to manage the event, they were inundated with messages of support from folk musicians, activists and enthusiasts.
Henry Nowak died aged 18 in police custody last December after being stabbed to death by Vickrum Digwa, of Southampton, who was sentenced to life in jail for the murder on June 1.
Following the sentencing, violent unrest broke out in Southampton on Tuesday night (June 2), resulting in 11 police officers and one police dog being injured.
READ MORE: Traffic chaos in Witney amid report of ‘major incident’
The Oxfordshire and Thames Valley Civic, Community and Faith Leaders’ Group issued a statement ‘urging calm and restraint’ in the wake of the riots.
The group also commended the ‘dignity and courage’ shown by Henry’s father, Mark Nowak. who appealed for his son’s murder not to be used to sow division.
Bishop Gavin Collins, acting bishop of Oxford, and Imam Monawar Hussain, who co-chair the Oxfordshire and Thames Valley Civic, Community and Faith Leaders Groups, said: “Yesterday’s verdict in the murder of Henry Nowak brings no relief from the terrible pain of a young life taken so brutally.
“Our hearts go out to Henry’s family, and we hold them in our thoughts and prayers with the deepest sympathy.
“We also wish to honour the courage and dignity of Mark Nowak, whose words have reminded the country that this terrible crime must not be used to divide our communities.
READ MORE: Tommy Robinson ‘not welcome in Oxford’ after ‘inciting riot’
“That is a message of real moral clarity at a moment of grief, anger and tension. It deserves to be heard.
“We are deeply concerned by the violence and disorder seen in Southampton overnight.
“No family mourning such a devastating loss should see that grief turned into an excuse for further hatred, fear or unrest. We call for calm, responsibility and restraint on all sides.”
The group said space has to be given for the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate the police’s response to the situation, and likewise called for people to not place ‘collective blame’ on the Sikh community.
The faith leaders added: “This is a moment to stand with a grieving family, to reject those who would exploit tragedy for division, and to recommit ourselves to the values of decency, peace and shared responsibility.”
READ MORE: OxCam Growth Corridor new plan unveiled by Government
Speaking outside the court after Digwa was sentenced, Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, condemned the police’s treatment of his son as ‘inhumane and degrading’ and said: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension.
“We want his story to help make our streets safer for everyone .”
Following the riots in Southampton on Tuesday night, Hampshire Police Chief Constable Alexis Boon said some people “clearly arrived intent on causing disorder and trouble” and “while we are forced to deal with those determined to spark fear and division, our finite resources are taken away from those who need it most”.
Oxford Stand Up To Racism has accused Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, of inciting the ‘awful violent scenes’ in Southampton on Tuesday night (June 2).
The city where 18-year-old Henry Nowak died and where his killer, Vickrum Digwa, lived became a scene of destruction after hundreds descended to smash car windows, hurl bricks and cause eleven officers and a police dog to be injured.
READ MORE: New date set for Tommy Robinson appearance in Oxford
Following the disorder, the chief of Hampshire police said those involved were ‘determined to spark fear and division’.
Yaxley-Lennon, who has been jailed multiple times for a variety of offences including when he was imprisoned in October 2024 for contempt of caught, addressed the crowd at the riot.
He said: “I heard someone say this wasn’t about race, this is about race.
“A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn’t.”
Oxford Stand Up to Racism is now renewing its call for the Oxford Union to withdraw its invitation for the ‘riot agitator’ to speak on June 17 on the subject of Islam.
He was originally due to speak at the historic debating society on Thursday, May 28 before his appearance was postponed over security concerns and after massive backlash.
READ MORE: Major emergency response in Oxford as paramedics on scene
Ian McKendrick, a member of the anti-racism group, said: “Despite Henry Nowak’s family clearly requesting that his death should not be used to promote further hatred, Robinson was at the centre of protests in Southampton last night and clearly inciting violence.
“Giving him a televised platform at the Oxford Union legitimises hate and violence, and gives him the opportunity to incite violence to an audience of millions.
“It does not promote free speech – instead, it promotes fear and intimidation among minoritised communities.
“Already we have seen Oxford fascists alongside Robinson in Southampton and now mobilising to bring more hate onto Oxford’s streets.”
Members of Raise the Colours: Oxfordshire were called to attend the Southampton protest on Tuesday night, with the leader of the group posting on Facebook to ask followers to join the ‘justice for Henry Nowak’ protest.
Mr McKendrick added: “There is a concerted effort by far right leaders and fascist groups to incite outrage and bring people on to the streets to riot.
READ MORE: Traffic chaos in Witney amid report of ‘major incident’
“We risk an explosion of violence similar to what we saw around the Southport murders across the UK.
“We’re calling on Oxford to say a clear ‘no’ to this hate and division by protesting against Yaxley-Lennon’s appearance at the Oxford Union.”
Faith and civic leaders of Oxford already wrote to the Oxford Union asking it to rescind the controversial figure’s invitation, and hundreds have signed an open letter calling for the same.
A reported incident at a junction in Witney is causing traffic chaos in the town, with drivers coming off the A40 and elsewhere stuck in long queues.
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