A weekend of racist violence
A weekend of racist violence
Riots continue across the country in the wake of last week’s Southport stabbings
Dear readers — the weekend saw a continuation of the violent rioting that exploded in Southport last Tuesday. In the city centre on Saturday bricks and bottles were thrown at police and one video was widely shared of an officer being pushed off his motorbike and assaulted. Later in the evening, in Walton, Spellow Lane Library Hub was torched during a riot involving around 300 people on County Road.
The rioting has now spread around the country — Rotherham saw a violent mob attempting to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers (our sister title in Sheffield has reported on the events). Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool saw groups rampaging through the streets bent on destruction.
This week we will continue our coverage of the events unfolding — if you were present in and around County Road on Saturday night it would be great to speak to you. Email editor@livpost.co.uk. To recap briefly, this is what we covered last week:
On Wednesday we published our long read on the rioting in Southport, which featured calls to “smash up” a mosque, bricks thrown at police, and a police van set on fire
A video we filmed of one woman defiantly holding up a “Hope not Hate” banner in the face of the mob has been viewed 6 million times on X
We were also in attendance on Friday night at the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque where counter-protestors outnumbered protestors and the imam shared a hug with one of the protestors
Also over the weekend, we had David Lloyd’s piece exploring the regeneration of New Brighton, the seaside resort determined to outlive all others. There’s plenty of excitement about the future over on the Wirral coast, but also frustration — particularly when it comes to Wirral Council’s recent masterplan. “Brilliantly written article. It expressed what everyone feels in an almost poetic way”, commented Jayne Heaney. Here’s a snippet:
“The proposal reads less like a spades-in-the-ground action plan, and more like a slip of paper spat out from the Great Zoltan fortune-telling machine.”
Editor’s note: We have chosen not to paywall any of our riot coverage as we believe it is important for all our readers to understand what is happening on the ground during these events. But while it’s free to read, it definitely isn’t free to produce. We believe good local journalism is always essential, but especially so when temperatures are running high and there’s a lot of misinformation flying around. If you can afford to support us as we continue to bring you the latest, then please become a member.
The big story: A weekend of racist violence
Top line: The violence that began in Southport on Tuesday spread across the country over the weekend, with riots in Middlesborough, Sunderland, London, Rotherham and other locations across the UK. In Liverpool, mobs took to the streets. The Spellow Lane Library Hub in Walton was torched.
In the daytime violence broke out at Pier Head between rival protests (an anti-immigration group and an anti-racism counter-protest), with around 750 people present in total. Bricks and bottles were thrown at police and an officer was pushed off his motorbike and assaulted. One officer had their nose broken and another was left with a broken jaw. Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell called it “mindless crime and disorder".
At night things became even more sinister. According to Merseyside Police, around 300 people turned out on County Road in Walton, where the Spellow Lane Library Hub (which was opened last year to serve a deprived community) was torched — causing serious damage inside. Other shops were broken into and looted while wheelie bins were set on fire. A man and a woman have been arrested for racially aggravated assault.
Arrests: So far, 23 people have been arrested, although that number will likely rise. The scenes over the weekend follow the brutal and bloody riot in Southport on Tuesday, which was attended by members of far-right and neo-Nazi groups such as Patriotic Alternative. That riot followed the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance and yoga group on Monday and false online rumours that the suspect was a newly arrived migrant who had crossed the Channel.
17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a knife.
What have we seen elsewhere? This may have started in Southport, but over the weekend the violence became a nationwide issue:
In Rotherham a far-right group attempted to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers, briefly breaking into the building before police were able to regain control
In Manchester scenes were more muted, although one highly distressing video showed a group of thugs surrounding a black man and kicking him on the ground
According to The Guardian, Middlesbrough resembled a “battle zone” as cars were torched and the windows of houses were smashed in
In Sunderland, a citizen's advice building was set alight and three police officers required hospital treatment
The response. Several senior politicians have condemned the nationwide rioting:
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised that those involved would face "the full force of the law" as his government convened today at an urgent Cobra meeting
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called on social media companies to take responsibility. She said social media had acted as a “rocket booster behind both the spread of misinformation and also the organisation of this violence”
Meanwhile, Priti Patel, the former Conservative Home Secretary, called the scenes “violence, thuggery [and] racism” while appearing to criticise Nigel Farage for his comments on “two-tier policing”
The clean up: A clean-up operation is now underway on County Road and a fundraiser to replace the books at the Spellow Lane Library Hub has already raised over £50,000. Local resident Debbie Stokes had this to say to Sky News:
“I’m not having it that people can’t feel safe living around here or living anywhere…I’m shocked to find out how many racist friends I seem to have to be honest…certainly, certainly not me”.
Bottom line: Further plans have been made for riots across the country in far-right online channels. The government held an emergency response meeting today — with Starmer confirming afterward that a “standing army” of public duty police officers would be introduced. The Post will continue to bring you all the latest throughout the week — if you have any information or a first-hand account of the violence please get in touch.
Your Post briefing
The Times reports on the “mother of three” who lives in a “£1.5 million farmhouse” who is accused of being the first to propagate the fake name of the suspect of the Southport stabbings. She posted on X that “Ali Al-Shakati” was on an “MI6 watchlist” and had arrived in the country last year. “If this is true, then all hell is about to break loose”, she wrote. This post was widely shared, likely contributing in part to the riot last Tuesday. Al-Shakati, we now know, does not exist.
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been traced by the Daily Mail to an expensive five-star holiday resort in Cyprus, where he has been accused of stoking racial tensions from his sun lounger. A warrant has been issued in the UK for Robinson’s arrest due to his failure to attend a contempt of court hearing. In the meantime, he’s been busy telling his massive online following that the rioting is a result of “legitimate concerns”, while calling for “mass deportations”. After the stabbings in Southport Robinson shared a post which said: “People need to rise up.”
Wirral Council has been criticised after its latest accounts showed it paid out nearly £1.5 million to employees leaving the local authority in just one year. The accounts, which are still to be audited, were highlighted by Conservative councillor Jenny Johnson who raised concerns about what she described as “eye-watering” exit packages for former employees. Wirral Council has already come under fire after announcing the potential sale of two town halls — Birkenhead and Wallasey — in an attempt to save money. In response to the £1.5 million paid in exit packages, director of finance Matthew Bennett said the “vast majority of that will be around planned departures,” of major staff members, adding that the number of people earning above £50,000 had increased in the council in recent years.
And former Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard has donated £10,000 to a fundraiser for the families of the children killed in Southport last week. The Southport Dance Group Emergency Fund was set up on behalf of preschool dance companies in the UK shortly after Monday’s knife attack that killed Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. Gerrard said he was thinking of all the families involved in "this horrific attack on innocent young lives. Sending love to you all x". So far the fund has raised more than £70,000.
Post Picks
🎥 Make CIC hosts an introductory session to short filmmaking on Thursday from 2pm to 4pm. The session is perfect for first-time filmmakers and those looking to deepen their understanding of the short film creation process.
📖 Linghams welcomes back author Rob Keeley on Wednesday for a children’s writing workshop. All attendees will receive a copy of Rob's book, Childish Spirits, and the workshop will be followed by a book signing.
🍸 Embark on an award-winning gin and cultural tour of Liverpool on Saturday, exploring some of the coolest bars and secret drinking dens in town. Gin Journey Liverpool hosts the event which starts at 1.15pm.
🎡 The Exhibition Centre is running an indoor funfair until Sunday 18th August. Expect plenty of rides and attractions, with tickets for sale for £9.99 here.
Home of the week
This one-bedroom flat in Waterloo makes no secret of the current owner’s love of…pink. Decked out in all shades, the property is on the market for £110,000 and is a short walk away from Waterloo Station and Crosby Coastal Park. Find out more here.
Recommended reads
This piece from the BBC archives explores Liverpool’s thriving rap and grime scene. “Liverpool's underground rap scene has lived in the shadows of other major cities…but in recent years artists have focused on building up the infrastructure and now new voices are tearing through — and they're breaking the mould.”
The Observer takes an insider's glimpse behind the doors of the UK’s greatest newsroom: ours. “Those who read the Post, for instance, love its writer David Lloyd: his passion for Liverpool, and his frustration with its custodians; his deep knowledge of the city,” the article, examining the rise of Mill Media, reads.
“For an adult who supposedly has a life in London, I return to Southport with almost embarrassing regularity. There’s a Fifties map of the town, printed by the Southport Visiter — our peerlessly named local paper — on the wall of my living room in Finsbury Park. Because I’m from Southport. Not “near Liverpool” or, God forbid, Stockport”...The Times’ Patrick Maguire stands up for his hometown after its darkest week.
Brilliant that you guys are making these posts free to all. It's so important in these dark days of rabid misinformation. ✌️❤️✊️
So, let me get this straight, three innocent children are murdered, so the immediate reaction is to jump on the computer and just stick a random name on there. The hard of thinking meanwhile, seem to reckon the best way to honour the kids' memories is to attack local businesses & a Mosque. Then, for some reason I still can't work out, they follow this up by burning a Library. Really showing yourself to be "Der Meister Reich"