‘In the current political climate, people want hope’

Trademark yellow cap on backwards, rucksack slung over his shoulder, Magid Magid wanders into City Hall and introduces himself with an easy-going grin.

It is almost exactly a year since his inauguration as lord mayor of Sheffield made headlines around the globe, as the youngest person, first Somali and first Green councillor in the role – and one unafraid to shake things up.

Now coming to the end of his term, and preparing to step down from local government altogether, Magid is in Bristol on Monday afternoon to see some of the work being done in the city and take part in a discussion at Barton Hill Settlement.

“Just a glass of water please, I want to see what Bristol tap water tastes like,” he says to the offer of tea or coffee at his first pit stop, City Hall.

His visit falls on the day a new ultra-low emissions zone has come into force in London. Asked if he thinks similar action should be taken in other congested cities, such as Bristol, Magid says a big part of the challenge is in educating people so they accept changes.

L-R: Lisa Stone, prospective Green candidate for Windmill Hill, Green councillor Martin Fodor, Sandy Hore-Ruthven, Magid Magid and Green councillors Eleanor Combley and Carla Denyer

“It’s educating young people – and everyone in fact – about air pollution,” Magid tells Bristol24/7.

“It’s getting councils to take it really seriously. Education and action should go hand in hand. It’s looking at getting more people onto public transport, it’s making roads safer for people. If we are not making the environment easier for people to ride bikes and get buses, it just isn’t going to work.

“There needs to be some sort of radical change, we are too slow in pushing this forward. If we are not going to tackle it now, when will we? The time for conversation is over.”

He is fully behind the recent youth action on climate change – of which another strike is planned in Bristol on Friday (April 12).

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Read more: Bristol’s young people strike for their future again

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“A lot of young people are doing what adults have failed to do,” says Magid. “It’s so amazing to see them coming together. I hope the leadership in the country, and the world, stand up and pays attention.”

Greeting Green councillors as they stop by to say hi, Magid seems completely at ease, but he admits it has been a challenging year, with a lot of pressure. He has also faced more than his fair share of criticism and abuse.

“A lot of the stuff I have done is me being myself and being true to myself,” he reflects, adding that cake has been a good coping mechanism when times got stressful.

“Compassion is at the heart of what I do. If you don’t have that, you are in the wrong line of work.”

Magid last visited Bristol for the Green Party national conference, where he was voted Green councillor of the year. His term as lord mayor has also coincided with Green councillor Cleo Lake’s year as lord mayor of Bristol.

“Everything I have done this year is thanks to others, whether that be my mum or other Green party politicians who have given unwavering support,” he says, reflecting on his relatively short three-year term in local politics.

Confirming that he won’t be standing again as a councillor, Magid says he will remain active and hints that he has his eye on European elections as the next challenge.

The 29-year-old was born in Somalia and came to Britain as a refugee in 1994 at the age of five.

Sandy Hore-Ruthven, Bristol’s Green mayoral candidate, who will be taking part in the talk at Barton Hill Settlement on Monday evening, describes Magid’s story as inspirational.

“He has stood up for what he believed right from the start and has not been cowed by others opinions of him – even the president of the USA,” says Sandy.

“He epitomises how green politics fights for environmental and social justice together and I know he will be an inspiration to the young people and communities he is meeting.”

How does Magid view his new found fame as a political role model?

“You need to see yourself in people so purely my existence in this role, and being myself in the role, makes a difference,” Magid tells Bristol24/7.

“In the climate of politics we are living in at the moment, people are wanting hope. There is a poverty of hope at the moment and people are fed up of the status quo.

“It’s a prime opportunity to really make some positive change.”

Read more: ‘Out of many, we can be one Bristol’