‘That’s my car, you fascist thugs’: far-right rampage engulfs Middlesbrough
Mark Brown North of England correspondent
Mark Brown North of England correspondent
THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 4 August 2024
Rioters torched cars and smashed the front windows of terraced homes as a protest in Middlesbrough turned violent.Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer
Incredibly, it began with a two-minute silence for the victims of the Southport knife attack.
What followed was angry, often racist and mindless violence during which front windows of homes were smashed in, cars torched, residents terrified and police repeatedly attacked with missiles.
Related: Rioters try to torch Rotherham asylum seeker hotel amid far-right violence
Middlesbrough resembled a battle zone on Sunday afternoon, the latest place to be chosen as a venue for far-right led violence.
About 300 people gathered at Middlesbrough’s cenotaph at the gates to Albert Park at 2pm. They had been encouraged to turn up by posts on social media. A striking number were men and women in their 50s and 60s.
“We’re fucking angry,” said one woman in her 60s. “I know we’re only plebs from a poor town.”
Another shouted: “This is our way of life that’s at stake.”
One elderly couple took time to go to admire the Brian Clough statue in the park before returning to find somewhere to sit.
But shortly before the crowd set off, a large group of younger masked men walked up to the cenotaph. Things began to feel more sinister and scary.
A man in a blue T-shirt, an organiser, couldn’t get his megaphone to work so yelled instead that it was a protest not about race or religion but about the children who were killed.
By the end, they seemed like hollow words.
The gathered people walked down Linthorpe Road into the city centre. Almost every business along the road had closed early and put the shutters down. A Wetherspoons stayed open but wasn’t letting anyone in.
Police stopped marchers from going down terraced streets off the main road which led to angry confrontations; furious, red-faced men bellowing at officers that their civil rights were being ignored.
Two of the streets had mosques on or near them, a reason marchers wanted to go down them. The police kept shouting “keep moving, keep moving” as the march made its way into the town centre.
It was starting to get ugly. There were racist chants. Windows were smashed, including one which, with grim irony, had a sign on it: “Middlesbrough – moving forward.”
A young girl, probably 12, was on the march with her mother and siblings. She was red-faced and tearful. “I don’t like it mam, I want to go home.”
The marchers headed back towards the cenotaph, this time snaking through terraced streets to the west of Linthorpe Road. Several homes of working-class people had their front windows smashed for no discernible reason.
At least two parked taxis had all their windows broken. Other parked cars were chosen randomly to have their windscreen smashed. One car owner bravely and furiously confronted them: “That’s my car,” she shouted. “You fascist thugs!”
Children used bricks and stones to smash windows of a new development of affordable homes.
The main body of the march made its way back to the cenotaph where there was a standoff with riot police with shields. People threw bricks, bottles and metal bars. At one point burning wheelie bins were pushed towards them.
It was proving impossible to keep everyone in one place. As police dealt with rioters at the cenotaph a large group of dozens of masked children cycled and ran away from a car they had overturned and set on fire in Borough Road. Another car was later torched on Parliament Road.
The police and crime commissioner for Northumbria, Susan Dungworth, has expressed fears that police will be exhausted if they have to keep on dealing with such protests in the coming weeks. When it was possible for officers to take a break, to chat amongst themselves, many looked exhausted. And haunted.
For Cleveland police this is the second time in a week they have had to deal with riots after a night of disorder in Hartlepool on Wednesday.
The force said nine arrests had been made on Sunday and urged people to avoid the area. By 4.30pm the crowds had largely dispersed from the cenotaph but no one was betting that might be the end of it. An hour later Middlesbrough still echoed to sirens and the constant thrum of a police helicopter overhead.
Rioters torched cars and smashed the front windows of terraced homes as a protest in Middlesbrough turned violent.Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer
Incredibly, it began with a two-minute silence for the victims of the Southport knife attack.
What followed was angry, often racist and mindless violence during which front windows of homes were smashed in, cars torched, residents terrified and police repeatedly attacked with missiles.
Related: Rioters try to torch Rotherham asylum seeker hotel amid far-right violence
Middlesbrough resembled a battle zone on Sunday afternoon, the latest place to be chosen as a venue for far-right led violence.
About 300 people gathered at Middlesbrough’s cenotaph at the gates to Albert Park at 2pm. They had been encouraged to turn up by posts on social media. A striking number were men and women in their 50s and 60s.
“We’re fucking angry,” said one woman in her 60s. “I know we’re only plebs from a poor town.”
Another shouted: “This is our way of life that’s at stake.”
One elderly couple took time to go to admire the Brian Clough statue in the park before returning to find somewhere to sit.
But shortly before the crowd set off, a large group of younger masked men walked up to the cenotaph. Things began to feel more sinister and scary.
A man in a blue T-shirt, an organiser, couldn’t get his megaphone to work so yelled instead that it was a protest not about race or religion but about the children who were killed.
By the end, they seemed like hollow words.
The gathered people walked down Linthorpe Road into the city centre. Almost every business along the road had closed early and put the shutters down. A Wetherspoons stayed open but wasn’t letting anyone in.
Police stopped marchers from going down terraced streets off the main road which led to angry confrontations; furious, red-faced men bellowing at officers that their civil rights were being ignored.
Two of the streets had mosques on or near them, a reason marchers wanted to go down them. The police kept shouting “keep moving, keep moving” as the march made its way into the town centre.
It was starting to get ugly. There were racist chants. Windows were smashed, including one which, with grim irony, had a sign on it: “Middlesbrough – moving forward.”
A young girl, probably 12, was on the march with her mother and siblings. She was red-faced and tearful. “I don’t like it mam, I want to go home.”
The marchers headed back towards the cenotaph, this time snaking through terraced streets to the west of Linthorpe Road. Several homes of working-class people had their front windows smashed for no discernible reason.
At least two parked taxis had all their windows broken. Other parked cars were chosen randomly to have their windscreen smashed. One car owner bravely and furiously confronted them: “That’s my car,” she shouted. “You fascist thugs!”
Children used bricks and stones to smash windows of a new development of affordable homes.
The main body of the march made its way back to the cenotaph where there was a standoff with riot police with shields. People threw bricks, bottles and metal bars. At one point burning wheelie bins were pushed towards them.
It was proving impossible to keep everyone in one place. As police dealt with rioters at the cenotaph a large group of dozens of masked children cycled and ran away from a car they had overturned and set on fire in Borough Road. Another car was later torched on Parliament Road.
The police and crime commissioner for Northumbria, Susan Dungworth, has expressed fears that police will be exhausted if they have to keep on dealing with such protests in the coming weeks. When it was possible for officers to take a break, to chat amongst themselves, many looked exhausted. And haunted.
For Cleveland police this is the second time in a week they have had to deal with riots after a night of disorder in Hartlepool on Wednesday.
The force said nine arrests had been made on Sunday and urged people to avoid the area. By 4.30pm the crowds had largely dispersed from the cenotaph but no one was betting that might be the end of it. An hour later Middlesbrough still echoed to sirens and the constant thrum of a police helicopter overhead.
Masked rioters break into hotel housing asylum seekers as violence leaves 10 police officers injured
Sky News
Updated Sun, 4 August 2024
Chairs have been hurled at police and windows were smashed as masked anti-immigration rioters broke into a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Objects including long pieces of wood were thrown at the Holiday Inn Express and at police officers who lined up in front of the building as they tried to protect it.
At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was left unconscious, in violent scenes as the prime minister vowed rioters would "regret" engaging in "far-right thuggery".
UK protests latest: Masked group smash windows at hotel
At least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away by colleagues.
Hotel employees and residents were "terrified", but no injuries to them were reported.
Police, including some on horseback, had been trying to separate the crowd from the hotel entrance, but a large group forced their way inside after smashing a nearby glass door.
After breaking in, the rioters attempted to set the hotel on fire, before blockading the exit with bins. Riot police were able to move them away from the entrance, but the group moved around the side, throwing rocks and debris at the windows.
Masked men also sprayed fire extinguishers at officers.
Several men attacked police cars, including with a riot shield, stolen from an officer. Police have now formed a line around the hotel, preventing any of the group from getting inside.
Officers in riot gear have been moving back a large crowd who were gathered outside the building, but they have been coming under attack from people throwing stones and large pieces of wood.
One person has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. Police are continuing to disperse the group from the area.
Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Today in Rotherham we have seen our officers attacked and at least 10 injured, significant damage caused and a fire set outside a hotel full of terrified residents and staff.
"The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear."
Addressing the nation, Sir Keir Starmer said that those involved in the unrest today and in recent days in parts of England and Northern Ireland will "regret" it and will "face the full force of the law".
'Utterly appalling'
He condemned the disorder as far-right thuggery, saying: "I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves.
"This is not a protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the deliberate torching of a hotel where people were known to be inside was "utterly appalling" and South Yorkshire Police have government backing to take "the strongest action".
Violence in Middlesbrough
Bricks and other objects have been thrown at a line of police in riot gear by a group, including some masked, in Middlesbrough.
They also pushed burning wheelie bins at officers with shields, leaving the road strewn with smoking rubbish.
Cleveland Police said "a number of arrests" have been made since the protest started in Middlesbrough at around 2pm.
More than 300 people marched in the town carrying a banner saying: "Tom Jones is Welsh, Axel Rudakubana [Southport stabbings suspect] isn't" while chanting "We want our country back" as they made their way through the town centre.
At one point, police used dogs to keep the group back and stop them breaking through and running ahead of the officers patrolling the march.
At least two people were taken away in handcuffs within the first half hour, while several pieces of slate were thrown, along with vapes and full plastic bottles.
Some people kicked bollards into the road so that police vehicles driving ahead of the group could not get through, and one man sat on the bonnet of a police car to stop it from moving.
Businesses, including McDonalds, locked their doors as hundreds walked down the streets.
There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured.
Police given extra powers
It comes as a Section 34 dispersal notice was put in place in Bolton, giving officers extra powers to deal with anyone causing anti-social behaviour.
Read more:
Should the EDL be banned under terror laws?
'We took beer bottles to our helmets': Bristol riots
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) put a Section 34 in place in parts of Manchester on Saturday, as did police in Liverpool, Southport and Blackpool.
Sir Keir has given police his "full backing" to take any action necessary to respond to "extremists" attempting to "sow hate" after scenes of disorder in England and Northern Ireland this week.
He said: "The police will be making arrests. Individuals will be held on remand, charges will follow and convictions will follow."
More than 100 people have been arrested after riots broke out in the wake of the death of three young girls at a dance studio in Southport.
The Home Office has announced that mosques will be offered greater protection with new "emergency security" that can be rapidly deployed to respond to violent disorder.
Far-right rioters set fire to hotel hosting asylum seekers in Rotherham
Ross Hunter
Sun, 4 August 2024 at 8:02 am GMT-6·2-min read
Far-right rioters clash with police outside a Holiday Express in Manvers (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.)
FAR-RIGHT rioters have set fire to hotel in Rotherham which is being used to house asylum seekers.
A large group of people draped in Union flags with some wearing balaclavas smashed the windows of a Holiday Express hotel in Manvers, South Yorkshire before setting the building on fire.
Police clashed with the group after bricks were thrown at the building as guests peered down from top floor windows.
Photographs show police officers in riot gear attempting to stop groups of men entering the building.
However, footage posted on social appears to show that some of the men were able to enter the hotel.
READ MORE: Tommy Robinson spreads disinformation about stabbing in Scottish city
It's believed the fire started after a wheelie bin was set on fire and thrown through the window of the hotel.
The Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, described the behaviour as "criminal disorder".
She said: “I’m extremely concern at the escalating violence we are seeing at Holiday Inn, Manvers.
“The people causing damage and attacking police do not represent our town and I am disgusted by their actions.
This is criminal disorder and intimidation - not protest.”
It comes after dozens of people were arrested following riots across numerous cities in England enflamed by disinformation spread by far-right agitators such as Tommy Robinson on social media.
Indeed, Robinson attempted to increase tensions in the Scottish city of Stirling after a woman was stabbed by a man on Saturday.
Police in riot gear face off with a far-right mob outside a Holiday Express being used to house asylum seekers (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.)
Robinson claimed the attacker was an “alleged Muslim” before Police Scotland issued a statement confirming they had arrested a white man who was local to the area.
John Swinney has since hit out at “unhelpful speculation” on the isolated incident, which police say poses no further threat to the public.
Sky News
Updated Sun, 4 August 2024
Chairs have been hurled at police and windows were smashed as masked anti-immigration rioters broke into a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Objects including long pieces of wood were thrown at the Holiday Inn Express and at police officers who lined up in front of the building as they tried to protect it.
At least 10 officers were injured, including one who was left unconscious, in violent scenes as the prime minister vowed rioters would "regret" engaging in "far-right thuggery".
UK protests latest: Masked group smash windows at hotel
At least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away by colleagues.
Hotel employees and residents were "terrified", but no injuries to them were reported.
Police, including some on horseback, had been trying to separate the crowd from the hotel entrance, but a large group forced their way inside after smashing a nearby glass door.
After breaking in, the rioters attempted to set the hotel on fire, before blockading the exit with bins. Riot police were able to move them away from the entrance, but the group moved around the side, throwing rocks and debris at the windows.
Masked men also sprayed fire extinguishers at officers.
Several men attacked police cars, including with a riot shield, stolen from an officer. Police have now formed a line around the hotel, preventing any of the group from getting inside.
Officers in riot gear have been moving back a large crowd who were gathered outside the building, but they have been coming under attack from people throwing stones and large pieces of wood.
One person has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. Police are continuing to disperse the group from the area.
Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Today in Rotherham we have seen our officers attacked and at least 10 injured, significant damage caused and a fire set outside a hotel full of terrified residents and staff.
"The mindless actions of those today have achieved nothing other than sheer destruction and leaving members of the public and the wider community in fear."
Addressing the nation, Sir Keir Starmer said that those involved in the unrest today and in recent days in parts of England and Northern Ireland will "regret" it and will "face the full force of the law".
'Utterly appalling'
He condemned the disorder as far-right thuggery, saying: "I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves.
"This is not a protest, it is organised, violent thuggery and it has no place on our streets or online."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the deliberate torching of a hotel where people were known to be inside was "utterly appalling" and South Yorkshire Police have government backing to take "the strongest action".
Violence in Middlesbrough
Bricks and other objects have been thrown at a line of police in riot gear by a group, including some masked, in Middlesbrough.
They also pushed burning wheelie bins at officers with shields, leaving the road strewn with smoking rubbish.
Cleveland Police said "a number of arrests" have been made since the protest started in Middlesbrough at around 2pm.
More than 300 people marched in the town carrying a banner saying: "Tom Jones is Welsh, Axel Rudakubana [Southport stabbings suspect] isn't" while chanting "We want our country back" as they made their way through the town centre.
At one point, police used dogs to keep the group back and stop them breaking through and running ahead of the officers patrolling the march.
At least two people were taken away in handcuffs within the first half hour, while several pieces of slate were thrown, along with vapes and full plastic bottles.
Some people kicked bollards into the road so that police vehicles driving ahead of the group could not get through, and one man sat on the bonnet of a police car to stop it from moving.
Businesses, including McDonalds, locked their doors as hundreds walked down the streets.
There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured.
Police given extra powers
It comes as a Section 34 dispersal notice was put in place in Bolton, giving officers extra powers to deal with anyone causing anti-social behaviour.
Read more:
Should the EDL be banned under terror laws?
'We took beer bottles to our helmets': Bristol riots
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) put a Section 34 in place in parts of Manchester on Saturday, as did police in Liverpool, Southport and Blackpool.
Sir Keir has given police his "full backing" to take any action necessary to respond to "extremists" attempting to "sow hate" after scenes of disorder in England and Northern Ireland this week.
He said: "The police will be making arrests. Individuals will be held on remand, charges will follow and convictions will follow."
More than 100 people have been arrested after riots broke out in the wake of the death of three young girls at a dance studio in Southport.
The Home Office has announced that mosques will be offered greater protection with new "emergency security" that can be rapidly deployed to respond to violent disorder.
Far-right rioters set fire to hotel hosting asylum seekers in Rotherham
Ross Hunter
Sun, 4 August 2024 at 8:02 am GMT-6·2-min read
Far-right rioters clash with police outside a Holiday Express in Manvers (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.)
FAR-RIGHT rioters have set fire to hotel in Rotherham which is being used to house asylum seekers.
A large group of people draped in Union flags with some wearing balaclavas smashed the windows of a Holiday Express hotel in Manvers, South Yorkshire before setting the building on fire.
Police clashed with the group after bricks were thrown at the building as guests peered down from top floor windows.
Photographs show police officers in riot gear attempting to stop groups of men entering the building.
However, footage posted on social appears to show that some of the men were able to enter the hotel.
READ MORE: Tommy Robinson spreads disinformation about stabbing in Scottish city
It's believed the fire started after a wheelie bin was set on fire and thrown through the window of the hotel.
The Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, described the behaviour as "criminal disorder".
She said: “I’m extremely concern at the escalating violence we are seeing at Holiday Inn, Manvers.
“The people causing damage and attacking police do not represent our town and I am disgusted by their actions.
This is criminal disorder and intimidation - not protest.”
It comes after dozens of people were arrested following riots across numerous cities in England enflamed by disinformation spread by far-right agitators such as Tommy Robinson on social media.
Indeed, Robinson attempted to increase tensions in the Scottish city of Stirling after a woman was stabbed by a man on Saturday.
Police in riot gear face off with a far-right mob outside a Holiday Express being used to house asylum seekers (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire.)
Robinson claimed the attacker was an “alleged Muslim” before Police Scotland issued a statement confirming they had arrested a white man who was local to the area.
John Swinney has since hit out at “unhelpful speculation” on the isolated incident, which police say poses no further threat to the public.
Far-right rioters loot shops and set fire to library and food bank in shameless day of disorder
Jabed Ahmed
Sun, 4 August 2024
Looters have raided shops across the UK as they took advantage of the disorder caused by violent far-right demonstrations in cities across the country.
Several locations in England and Northern Ireland saw violent clashes involving far-right demonstrators, with dozens of police officers left injured, missiles thrown and shops broken into on Saturday. Home secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.
Click here for our live coverage of the riots.
A Shoezone in Hull was looted and set on fire on Saturday (X/Twitter)
A man leaves an o2 store being looted in Hull (X/Twitter)
Rioters stole wine, shoes and phones; some shops were then torched during the chaos.
In footage from Liverpool, a group of rioters could be heard shouting “Get the phones! Get the phones!” as they ransacked a phone repair and vape shop in the city centre.
Have you been affected by looting? Email jabed.ahmed@independent.co.uk
Smashed glass and empty phone packaging could be seen on the streets after rioters kicked in the shutters, breaking their way into the business.
In another incident in Liverpool, thugs torched a recently renovated library and food bank on Saturday night. The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide support for one of the most deprived communities in the country, suffered severe damage.
A police car is set on fire in Sunderland on Friday night (Getty Images)
A group protest outside Leeds Town Hall (PA)
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram condemned the mob who tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the blaze.
“Devastated to see this wonderful community asset ravaged by thugs,” Mr Rotheram said in a post on X.
A Shoezone in Hull was badly damaged after rioters shattered the glass storefront, looted the store and set it on fire. Footage showed a blaze inside the shop with shoes scattered on the path outside, while a Greggs and a Specsavers had also been targeted by masked men throwing stones and bricks.
Humberside Police said officers “faced eggs and bottles being thrown” as windows were smashed at a nearby hotel that has housed migrants.
A supermarket manager in Belfast said his store was reduced to ashes as rioters deliberately targeted immigrant-owned businesses.
“People attacked this place, racism against Islam and Muslims, especially the Muslim community,” Bashir said. “All of that happened and the police did nothing, I am telling you the truth. What kind of police are letting the people burn everything down?”
Across the road from the supermarket, the Bash Cafe, selling Arabic coffee and falafels, was badly damaged by fire.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it had attended a shop and a cafe on fire on the Donegall Road on Saturday night. It said the cause of both fires had been determined as deliberate.
A supermarket manager said his store was reduced to ashes (PA)
A fire-damaged Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Sunderland (PA)
Masked men in Manchester chanted “England” and “Oh Tommy, Tommy!”, a reference to the founder of the far-right English Defence League Tommy Robinson, as they ransacked a Sainsbury’s local in Picadilly Gardens, leaving with expensive wines.
In footage of the incident, one man can be heard further encouraging the looters, shouting: “Go get the beers!” The men were chased by riot police before being detained.
Rioters in Sunderland set an overturned car on fire, set alight a disused police building and torched a Citizen’s Advice Bureau, while others targeted a mosque and chanted Islamophobic insults.
The far-right has drawn widespread condemnation as the organising force behind the scenes of disorder in the wake of the killings of three young girls in Southport.
False claims had spread online that the suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.
Dozens arrested in violent clashes across UK as government warns rioters ‘will pay the price’
Robin McKie, James Tapper, Michael Savage and Olivia Lee
George Lithgow, PA
Sat, 3 August 2024 at 8:55 pm GMT-6·5-min read
Thugs who engage in criminal disorder on the streets will “pay the price”, the Government has said, amid warnings that further violence is likely in the coming days.
Towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland saw clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters on Saturday, with police officers attacked and injured and a number of arrests made, with many more promised.
The string of violent incidents over the past few days began on Tuesday in Southport, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the police have his “full support” to take action against “extremists” attempting to “sow hate” by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.
The far right has drawn condemnation from MPs across the political spectrum after disorder in London, Manchester, Southport and Hartlepool came before Saturday’s violence.
Police in Liverpool (James Speakman/PA)
Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told ministers “the whole justice system is ready to deliver convictions as quickly as possible”, a Downing Street spokesperson said, which could see courts sitting for 24 hours a day as they did for the 2011 riots, according to one report.
There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured.
It followed a riot in Sunderland on Friday evening.
A protest in Sunderland city centre (Scott Heppell/PA)
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said anyone who attacks police “should be ashamed”.
She wrote on X: “I cannot thank our local police enough for everything they’re doing to keep people safe.
They were among the first on the scene when the horrendous incident unfolded in Southport.
They run into danger to keep us safe, and those who attack them should be ashamed.”
Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said “violence is not acceptable”.
“Northern Ireland must always be a place that protects the right to protest, the right to have a view and to express it”, she posted on X.
“Let’s be VERY clear – violence is not acceptable. It never was and it is not now. No one, NO ONE, has the right to express hate and violence. Stop it now.”
In Liverpool, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton, which included community facilities being set on fire.
The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide a much needed on stop shop for one of the most deprived communities in the country, has suffered severe damage to the ground floor.
Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.
A total of 23 people were arrested on Saturday, including 12 arrests for the disorder in the city centre, nine arrests for the disorder on County Road and two arrests in connection with disorder in Southport.
One officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.
In a post on X, Liverpool City Council urged people to “stay away from the area” and let police “deal with this ongoing situation in Walton”.
Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss called the behaviour of protesters “deplorable”, adding: “The impact of the disorder will be devastating for the people of Walton, but I promise that we are doing everything in our power to arrest those involved and bring them to justice.”
Merseyside Police also said a 58-year-old man has been charged with two offences following the violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday.
Derek Drummond of Pool Street, Southport, has been charged with violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker. He will appear at Wirral Magistrates Court on Monday, August 5, police said.
In Hull, Humberside Police said there were 20 people arrested, three police officers injured and shops looted and burned after a mob attacked a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said: “The right to lawful protest is a part of democracy, which my officers upheld, however, we will not accept the senseless vandalism, antisocial behaviour and sheer violence that has been brought to our streets.”
Businesses were targeted in Belfast where police mounted a significant security operation during a lengthy confrontation between anti-Islamic protesters and those taking part in an anti-racist rally at Belfast City Hall during which fireworks and other missiles were thrown.
A vehicle is set alight in Belfast (David Young/PA)
In Bristol, police made 14 arrests because of violent disorder in the city centre which Avon and Somerset Police described as “completely unacceptable”.
Lancashire Police said more than 20 people were arrested and dispersal orders were issued in parts of Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.
And Staffordshire Police said 10 people were also arrested following disorder in Stoke-on-Trent.
Further protests are planned for Sunday and more trouble is likely in the coming days, police said.
“We know people will try and do this again and policing has been and will continue to be ready,” said Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.
“So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you.”
Mapped: Violent protests grip the country with fears of more to come
Jabed Ahmed
Sun, 4 August 2024
Around 90 people were arrested following violence and disorder across the country in another night of rioting on Saturday, with police warning that further violence is likely in the coming days.
Several towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland saw violent clashes involving far-right demonstrators, with dozens of police officers left injured.
There was unrest in Manchester, Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast, with missiles thrown and shops looted.
The string of violent incidents over the past few days began on Tuesday in Southport, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer added the police have his “full support” to take action against “extremists” attempting to “sow hate” by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.
The interactive map below shows the towns and cities where there was disorder and the number of arrests made.
The far right has drawn condemnation from MPs across the political spectrum after disorder in London, Manchester, Southport and Hartlepool came before Saturday’s violence.
False claims had spread online that the suspect, later identified as a 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.
Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.
In Liverpool, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton, which included community facilities being set on fire.
Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.
Police officers face protesters in Liverpool (James Speakman/PA Wire)
A total of 23 people were arrested on Saturday, Merseyside Police said. One officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.
Lancashire Police said more than 20 people were arrested and dispersal orders were issued in parts of Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.
Further protests are planned for Sunday and more trouble is likely in the coming days, police said.
“We know people will try and do this again and policing has been and will continue to be ready,” said Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.
“So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you.”
Jabed Ahmed
Sun, 4 August 2024
Looters have raided shops across the UK as they took advantage of the disorder caused by violent far-right demonstrations in cities across the country.
Several locations in England and Northern Ireland saw violent clashes involving far-right demonstrators, with dozens of police officers left injured, missiles thrown and shops broken into on Saturday. Home secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.
Click here for our live coverage of the riots.
A Shoezone in Hull was looted and set on fire on Saturday (X/Twitter)
A man leaves an o2 store being looted in Hull (X/Twitter)
Rioters stole wine, shoes and phones; some shops were then torched during the chaos.
In footage from Liverpool, a group of rioters could be heard shouting “Get the phones! Get the phones!” as they ransacked a phone repair and vape shop in the city centre.
Have you been affected by looting? Email jabed.ahmed@independent.co.uk
Smashed glass and empty phone packaging could be seen on the streets after rioters kicked in the shutters, breaking their way into the business.
In another incident in Liverpool, thugs torched a recently renovated library and food bank on Saturday night. The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide support for one of the most deprived communities in the country, suffered severe damage.
A police car is set on fire in Sunderland on Friday night (Getty Images)
A group protest outside Leeds Town Hall (PA)
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram condemned the mob who tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the blaze.
“Devastated to see this wonderful community asset ravaged by thugs,” Mr Rotheram said in a post on X.
A Shoezone in Hull was badly damaged after rioters shattered the glass storefront, looted the store and set it on fire. Footage showed a blaze inside the shop with shoes scattered on the path outside, while a Greggs and a Specsavers had also been targeted by masked men throwing stones and bricks.
Humberside Police said officers “faced eggs and bottles being thrown” as windows were smashed at a nearby hotel that has housed migrants.
A supermarket manager in Belfast said his store was reduced to ashes as rioters deliberately targeted immigrant-owned businesses.
“People attacked this place, racism against Islam and Muslims, especially the Muslim community,” Bashir said. “All of that happened and the police did nothing, I am telling you the truth. What kind of police are letting the people burn everything down?”
Across the road from the supermarket, the Bash Cafe, selling Arabic coffee and falafels, was badly damaged by fire.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it had attended a shop and a cafe on fire on the Donegall Road on Saturday night. It said the cause of both fires had been determined as deliberate.
A supermarket manager said his store was reduced to ashes (PA)
A fire-damaged Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Sunderland (PA)
Masked men in Manchester chanted “England” and “Oh Tommy, Tommy!”, a reference to the founder of the far-right English Defence League Tommy Robinson, as they ransacked a Sainsbury’s local in Picadilly Gardens, leaving with expensive wines.
In footage of the incident, one man can be heard further encouraging the looters, shouting: “Go get the beers!” The men were chased by riot police before being detained.
Rioters in Sunderland set an overturned car on fire, set alight a disused police building and torched a Citizen’s Advice Bureau, while others targeted a mosque and chanted Islamophobic insults.
The far-right has drawn widespread condemnation as the organising force behind the scenes of disorder in the wake of the killings of three young girls in Southport.
False claims had spread online that the suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.
Dozens arrested in violent clashes across UK as government warns rioters ‘will pay the price’
Robin McKie, James Tapper, Michael Savage and Olivia Lee
THE GUARDIAN
Sat, 3 August 2024
Police clash with right wing protesters in Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August in Manchester.Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Rioters will “pay the price” for the wave of violent clashes that has spread across the UK, ministers warned on Saturday, after a day in which police battled rival groups of demonstrators in the worst outbreak of civil disorder in Britain for more than a decade.
Dozens of arrests were made after the scenes of disorder, with police warning that further violence is likely in the coming days.
Multiple towns and cities saw clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters, with police officers attacked and injured, and many more arrests promised.
The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the police would have the government’s full support to take the strongest possible action. “Criminal violence and disorder have no place on Britain’s streets,” she said.
Related: Rioting ‘flooding across major cities and towns’ as police brace for further disorder across UK – live
“Anyone who gets involved in criminal disorder and violent thuggery on our streets will have to pay the price and they should expect there to be arrests, prosecutions, penalties and the full force of the law including imprisonment and travel bans. There are consequences for breaking the law.”
The widespread clashes pose the first big challenge to Keir Starmer’s new government, which is facing demands to introduce emergency powers to stop further violence and to recall parliament.
On Saturday bricks were hurled at police officers in Stoke-on-Trent, fireworks were thrown amid tense exchanges between an anti-Islamic group and an anti-racism rally in Belfast, and windows of a hotel which has been used to house migrants were smashed in Hull, where three police officers were injured and four people arrested. Later video footage on social media showed shops on fire. Several officers were also injured during “serious disorder” in Liverpool city centre, where bricks, bottles and a flare were thrown and two officers needed hospital treatment and six arrests were made. Greater Manchester police said a dispersal notice had been authorised for the city centre. Scuffles broke out as opposing groups faced each other in Nottingham’s Old Market Square with bottles and other items thrown from both sides.
About 150 people carrying St George’s Cross flags, shouting “you’re not English any more” and “paedo Muslims off our street”, were greatly outnumbered in Leeds by hundreds of counter-protesters shouting “Nazi scum off our streets”. Skirmishes broke out between demonstrators and punks – in town for a festival – in Blackpool, with bottles and chairs thrown.
In Bristol, police kept protesters and counter protesters apart before a group headed to a hotel used to house asylum seekers.
The need for urgent political intervention was stressed by the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, Lord Walney, who told the Observer that new emergency powers may be needed. “The system isn’t set up to deal with this rolling rabble-rousing being fuelled by far-right actors,” he said.
“I think home office ministers may want to look urgently at a new emergency framework – perhaps temporary in nature – that enables police to use the full powers of arrest to prevent people gathering where there is clear intent to fuel violent disorder.”
Keir Starmer held a meeting of senior ministers on Saturday in which he said police had been given full support to tackle extremists who were attempting “to sow hate by intimidating communities”. He made clear that the right to freedom of expression and the violent scenes over recent days were “two very different things”.
Last week’s riots followed the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on Monday. Axel Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused of the attack, but false claims were spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat. In the wake of these messages, far-right protesters – guided by social media – gathered in cities across the country.
A key factor in this spread of online disinformation involved Elon Musk’s decision to allow rightwing activists such as Tommy Robinson back onto his social media platform X, said Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope not Hate, the anti-fascism organisation. “The initial disinformation and anger was being perpetrated by individuals on Twitter, for example, that have been previously deplatformed,” he said. “And now they’ve been replatformed.”
Robinson was permanently banned from the platform (then called Twitter) in March 2018, then reinstated in November last year, after Musk bought it. “We hadn’t seen any significant numbers at any demonstrations since 2018,” Mulhall added.
An example of the danger posed by the misuse of social media was revealed in Stoke-on-Trent, where police were forced to deny there had been a stabbing, countering claims made on social media. “There is growing speculation that a stabbing has taken place as a result of the disorder today. We can confirm this information is false and no stabbings have been reported to police or emergency responders, despite videos fuelling speculation on social media,” police said.
The danger of such intervention was stressed by Ben-Julian “BJ” Harrington, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for public order, who condemned social media disinformation as a cause of last week’s disorder.
He said: “We had reports today that two people had been stabbed by Muslims in Stoke – it’s just not true. There’s people out there, not even in this country, circulating and stoking up hatred, division and concerns in communities that they don’t care about, don’t know and don’t understand.”
Harrington, who was also the NPCC’s gold commander in charge of national strategy for Saturday’s disorder, said that “yobs and thugs and criminals” were responsible. “This isn’t about protests,” he said. “This is about violent disorder. This is about people who are descending into communities and causing damage – throwing bricks and bottles and things at cops who work within those communities.”
Forces across England brought officers back from leave to deploy an extra 130 police support units – about 2,000 officers, he revealed. “Of course there is a limited number of officers, and every one that is taken from a community is not out there solving burglaries.”
Echoing concerns about the dangers of social media, shadow home secretary James Cleverly called for tech companies to be hauled into Downing Street to ensure they were acting to stop the spread of disinformation on their platforms. However, he was criticised for issuing a statement in which he said Starmer taking the knee had sent “completely the wrong message” to protesters, adding that there was “never a justification for disorder like this”.
There was also further condemnation of Nigel Farage’s role in inciting the violence with his comments about the Southport killings, in which he questioned “whether the truth is being withheld from us” after the attack on Monday. Robert Jenrick, one of the favourites in the Tory leadership race, said that the Reform leader’s comments did not “make the situation better”.
Last week’s clashes spread four days ago, when more than 100 protesters were arrested on Whitehall, where bottles and cans were thrown at police, while violence also broke out in Hartlepool and in Manchester.
On Thursday, Starmer announced a new “national” response to the disorder linking police forces across the country through shared intelligence and the expanded use of facial recognition.
Then, on Friday, about 500 people, including some parents with their children, gathered in Sunderland city centre, responding to far-right social media posts to turn up and demonstrate. The gathering quickly descended into violence, with masked boys and men throwing missiles, including bricks, stones, beer barrels and scaffolding poles, at riot police.
Ten people were arrested and four policemen taken to hospital, one seriously injured. A police station was ransacked and a Citizens Advice Bureau set alight. By Saturday morning, the acrid smell of fire still hung in the air. Shoppers stopped to express their shock at what had happened, with hundreds of residents of all ages gathering on the city’s streets with brushes, litter pickers, buckets, bin bags and dust pans.
The Sunderland Central Labour MP, Lewis Atkinson, said a link could be drawn between the disorder and the ashes of the English Defence League (EDL), which was founded by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The EDL has disbanded but its supporters remain active, and Atkinson said evidence suggested a neo-Nazi offshoot of the group was involved in Friday’s violence.
A priest at Sunderland Minster said yobs tried to smash a gravestone to use as missiles during the disorder that gripped the city. “It’s an act of sacrilege to disturb someone’s gravestone,” said Rev Jacqui Tyson. “It’s also remarkably lacking in common sense – have you tried to pick up a gravestone?”
Thugs will ‘pay the price’, Government warns amid fears of more disorder to come
Sat, 3 August 2024
Police clash with right wing protesters in Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August in Manchester.Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Rioters will “pay the price” for the wave of violent clashes that has spread across the UK, ministers warned on Saturday, after a day in which police battled rival groups of demonstrators in the worst outbreak of civil disorder in Britain for more than a decade.
Dozens of arrests were made after the scenes of disorder, with police warning that further violence is likely in the coming days.
Multiple towns and cities saw clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters, with police officers attacked and injured, and many more arrests promised.
The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the police would have the government’s full support to take the strongest possible action. “Criminal violence and disorder have no place on Britain’s streets,” she said.
Related: Rioting ‘flooding across major cities and towns’ as police brace for further disorder across UK – live
“Anyone who gets involved in criminal disorder and violent thuggery on our streets will have to pay the price and they should expect there to be arrests, prosecutions, penalties and the full force of the law including imprisonment and travel bans. There are consequences for breaking the law.”
The widespread clashes pose the first big challenge to Keir Starmer’s new government, which is facing demands to introduce emergency powers to stop further violence and to recall parliament.
On Saturday bricks were hurled at police officers in Stoke-on-Trent, fireworks were thrown amid tense exchanges between an anti-Islamic group and an anti-racism rally in Belfast, and windows of a hotel which has been used to house migrants were smashed in Hull, where three police officers were injured and four people arrested. Later video footage on social media showed shops on fire. Several officers were also injured during “serious disorder” in Liverpool city centre, where bricks, bottles and a flare were thrown and two officers needed hospital treatment and six arrests were made. Greater Manchester police said a dispersal notice had been authorised for the city centre. Scuffles broke out as opposing groups faced each other in Nottingham’s Old Market Square with bottles and other items thrown from both sides.
About 150 people carrying St George’s Cross flags, shouting “you’re not English any more” and “paedo Muslims off our street”, were greatly outnumbered in Leeds by hundreds of counter-protesters shouting “Nazi scum off our streets”. Skirmishes broke out between demonstrators and punks – in town for a festival – in Blackpool, with bottles and chairs thrown.
In Bristol, police kept protesters and counter protesters apart before a group headed to a hotel used to house asylum seekers.
The need for urgent political intervention was stressed by the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, Lord Walney, who told the Observer that new emergency powers may be needed. “The system isn’t set up to deal with this rolling rabble-rousing being fuelled by far-right actors,” he said.
“I think home office ministers may want to look urgently at a new emergency framework – perhaps temporary in nature – that enables police to use the full powers of arrest to prevent people gathering where there is clear intent to fuel violent disorder.”
Keir Starmer held a meeting of senior ministers on Saturday in which he said police had been given full support to tackle extremists who were attempting “to sow hate by intimidating communities”. He made clear that the right to freedom of expression and the violent scenes over recent days were “two very different things”.
Last week’s riots followed the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on Monday. Axel Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is accused of the attack, but false claims were spread online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat. In the wake of these messages, far-right protesters – guided by social media – gathered in cities across the country.
A key factor in this spread of online disinformation involved Elon Musk’s decision to allow rightwing activists such as Tommy Robinson back onto his social media platform X, said Joe Mulhall, director of research at Hope not Hate, the anti-fascism organisation. “The initial disinformation and anger was being perpetrated by individuals on Twitter, for example, that have been previously deplatformed,” he said. “And now they’ve been replatformed.”
Robinson was permanently banned from the platform (then called Twitter) in March 2018, then reinstated in November last year, after Musk bought it. “We hadn’t seen any significant numbers at any demonstrations since 2018,” Mulhall added.
An example of the danger posed by the misuse of social media was revealed in Stoke-on-Trent, where police were forced to deny there had been a stabbing, countering claims made on social media. “There is growing speculation that a stabbing has taken place as a result of the disorder today. We can confirm this information is false and no stabbings have been reported to police or emergency responders, despite videos fuelling speculation on social media,” police said.
The danger of such intervention was stressed by Ben-Julian “BJ” Harrington, the National Police Chiefs Council lead for public order, who condemned social media disinformation as a cause of last week’s disorder.
He said: “We had reports today that two people had been stabbed by Muslims in Stoke – it’s just not true. There’s people out there, not even in this country, circulating and stoking up hatred, division and concerns in communities that they don’t care about, don’t know and don’t understand.”
Harrington, who was also the NPCC’s gold commander in charge of national strategy for Saturday’s disorder, said that “yobs and thugs and criminals” were responsible. “This isn’t about protests,” he said. “This is about violent disorder. This is about people who are descending into communities and causing damage – throwing bricks and bottles and things at cops who work within those communities.”
Forces across England brought officers back from leave to deploy an extra 130 police support units – about 2,000 officers, he revealed. “Of course there is a limited number of officers, and every one that is taken from a community is not out there solving burglaries.”
Echoing concerns about the dangers of social media, shadow home secretary James Cleverly called for tech companies to be hauled into Downing Street to ensure they were acting to stop the spread of disinformation on their platforms. However, he was criticised for issuing a statement in which he said Starmer taking the knee had sent “completely the wrong message” to protesters, adding that there was “never a justification for disorder like this”.
There was also further condemnation of Nigel Farage’s role in inciting the violence with his comments about the Southport killings, in which he questioned “whether the truth is being withheld from us” after the attack on Monday. Robert Jenrick, one of the favourites in the Tory leadership race, said that the Reform leader’s comments did not “make the situation better”.
Last week’s clashes spread four days ago, when more than 100 protesters were arrested on Whitehall, where bottles and cans were thrown at police, while violence also broke out in Hartlepool and in Manchester.
On Thursday, Starmer announced a new “national” response to the disorder linking police forces across the country through shared intelligence and the expanded use of facial recognition.
Then, on Friday, about 500 people, including some parents with their children, gathered in Sunderland city centre, responding to far-right social media posts to turn up and demonstrate. The gathering quickly descended into violence, with masked boys and men throwing missiles, including bricks, stones, beer barrels and scaffolding poles, at riot police.
Ten people were arrested and four policemen taken to hospital, one seriously injured. A police station was ransacked and a Citizens Advice Bureau set alight. By Saturday morning, the acrid smell of fire still hung in the air. Shoppers stopped to express their shock at what had happened, with hundreds of residents of all ages gathering on the city’s streets with brushes, litter pickers, buckets, bin bags and dust pans.
The Sunderland Central Labour MP, Lewis Atkinson, said a link could be drawn between the disorder and the ashes of the English Defence League (EDL), which was founded by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The EDL has disbanded but its supporters remain active, and Atkinson said evidence suggested a neo-Nazi offshoot of the group was involved in Friday’s violence.
A priest at Sunderland Minster said yobs tried to smash a gravestone to use as missiles during the disorder that gripped the city. “It’s an act of sacrilege to disturb someone’s gravestone,” said Rev Jacqui Tyson. “It’s also remarkably lacking in common sense – have you tried to pick up a gravestone?”
Thugs will ‘pay the price’, Government warns amid fears of more disorder to come
George Lithgow, PA
Sat, 3 August 2024 at 8:55 pm GMT-6·5-min read
Thugs who engage in criminal disorder on the streets will “pay the price”, the Government has said, amid warnings that further violence is likely in the coming days.
Towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland saw clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters on Saturday, with police officers attacked and injured and a number of arrests made, with many more promised.
The string of violent incidents over the past few days began on Tuesday in Southport, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the police have his “full support” to take action against “extremists” attempting to “sow hate” by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.
The far right has drawn condemnation from MPs across the political spectrum after disorder in London, Manchester, Southport and Hartlepool came before Saturday’s violence.
Police in Liverpool (James Speakman/PA)
Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told ministers “the whole justice system is ready to deliver convictions as quickly as possible”, a Downing Street spokesperson said, which could see courts sitting for 24 hours a day as they did for the 2011 riots, according to one report.
There was violence on Saturday in towns and cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast which saw several police officers injured.
It followed a riot in Sunderland on Friday evening.
A protest in Sunderland city centre (Scott Heppell/PA)
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said anyone who attacks police “should be ashamed”.
She wrote on X: “I cannot thank our local police enough for everything they’re doing to keep people safe.
They were among the first on the scene when the horrendous incident unfolded in Southport.
They run into danger to keep us safe, and those who attack them should be ashamed.”
Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said “violence is not acceptable”.
“Northern Ireland must always be a place that protects the right to protest, the right to have a view and to express it”, she posted on X.
“Let’s be VERY clear – violence is not acceptable. It never was and it is not now. No one, NO ONE, has the right to express hate and violence. Stop it now.”
In Liverpool, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton, which included community facilities being set on fire.
The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide a much needed on stop shop for one of the most deprived communities in the country, has suffered severe damage to the ground floor.
Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.
A total of 23 people were arrested on Saturday, including 12 arrests for the disorder in the city centre, nine arrests for the disorder on County Road and two arrests in connection with disorder in Southport.
One officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.
In a post on X, Liverpool City Council urged people to “stay away from the area” and let police “deal with this ongoing situation in Walton”.
Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss called the behaviour of protesters “deplorable”, adding: “The impact of the disorder will be devastating for the people of Walton, but I promise that we are doing everything in our power to arrest those involved and bring them to justice.”
Merseyside Police also said a 58-year-old man has been charged with two offences following the violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday.
Derek Drummond of Pool Street, Southport, has been charged with violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker. He will appear at Wirral Magistrates Court on Monday, August 5, police said.
In Hull, Humberside Police said there were 20 people arrested, three police officers injured and shops looted and burned after a mob attacked a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said: “The right to lawful protest is a part of democracy, which my officers upheld, however, we will not accept the senseless vandalism, antisocial behaviour and sheer violence that has been brought to our streets.”
Businesses were targeted in Belfast where police mounted a significant security operation during a lengthy confrontation between anti-Islamic protesters and those taking part in an anti-racist rally at Belfast City Hall during which fireworks and other missiles were thrown.
A vehicle is set alight in Belfast (David Young/PA)
In Bristol, police made 14 arrests because of violent disorder in the city centre which Avon and Somerset Police described as “completely unacceptable”.
Lancashire Police said more than 20 people were arrested and dispersal orders were issued in parts of Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.
And Staffordshire Police said 10 people were also arrested following disorder in Stoke-on-Trent.
Further protests are planned for Sunday and more trouble is likely in the coming days, police said.
“We know people will try and do this again and policing has been and will continue to be ready,” said Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.
“So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you.”
Mapped: Violent protests grip the country with fears of more to come
Jabed Ahmed
Sun, 4 August 2024
Around 90 people were arrested following violence and disorder across the country in another night of rioting on Saturday, with police warning that further violence is likely in the coming days.
Several towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland saw violent clashes involving far-right demonstrators, with dozens of police officers left injured.
There was unrest in Manchester, Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast, with missiles thrown and shops looted.
The string of violent incidents over the past few days began on Tuesday in Southport, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer added the police have his “full support” to take action against “extremists” attempting to “sow hate” by intimidating communities as he held emergency talks with ministers over the unrest in parts of England.
The interactive map below shows the towns and cities where there was disorder and the number of arrests made.
The far right has drawn condemnation from MPs across the political spectrum after disorder in London, Manchester, Southport and Hartlepool came before Saturday’s violence.
False claims had spread online that the suspect, later identified as a 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.
Arrests have been made across the country with police warning of more to come once CCTV, social media and body-worn camera footage has been scoured.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said people involved in the clashes “will pay the price” and that “criminal violence and disorder has no place on Britain’s streets”.
In Liverpool, Merseyside Police said about 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton, which included community facilities being set on fire.
Police said rioters tried to prevent firefighters from accessing the fire, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.
Police officers face protesters in Liverpool (James Speakman/PA Wire)
A total of 23 people were arrested on Saturday, Merseyside Police said. One officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator and others tried to kick riot shields.
Lancashire Police said more than 20 people were arrested and dispersal orders were issued in parts of Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.
Further protests are planned for Sunday and more trouble is likely in the coming days, police said.
“We know people will try and do this again and policing has been and will continue to be ready,” said Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.
“So if you’re planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple – we’ll be watching you.”
Lumpenproletariat
Roughly translated as slum workers or the mob, this term identifies the class of outcast, degenerated and submerged elements that make up a section of the population of industrial centers. It includes beggars, prostitutes, gangsters, racketeers, swindlers, petty criminals, tramps, chronic unemployed or unemployables, persons who have been cast out by industry, and all sorts of declassed, degraded or degenerated elements. In times of prolonged crisis (depression), innumerable young people also, who cannot find an opportunity to enter into the social organism as producers, are pushed into this limbo of the outcast. Here demagogues and fascists of various stripes find some area of the mass base in time of struggle and social breakdown, when the ranks of the Lumpenproletariat are enormously swelled by ruined and declassed elements from all layers of a society in decay.
The term was coined by Marx in The German Ideology in the course of a critique of Max Stirner. In passage of The Ego and His Own which Marx is criticising at the time, Stirner frequently uses the term Lumpe and applies it as a prefix, but never actually used the term “lumpenproletariat.” Lumpen originally meant “rags,” but began to be used to mean “a person in rags.” From having the sense of “ragamuffin,” it came to mean “riff-raff” or “knave,” and by the beginning of the eighteenth century it began to be used freely as a prefix to make a range of perjorative terms. By the 1820s, “lumpen” could be tacked on to almost any German word.
The term was later used in the Communist Manifesto (where it is translated as “dangerous classes”) and in Class Struggles in France, and elsewhere.
https://www.marxists.org/
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