Shops were looted and a library torched in Liverpool overnight as hundreds of rioters descended on the city in a night of chaos.
Unrest broke out after a far-right demonstration took place in the city centre on Saturday that quickly escalated into what police described as a ‘serious disorder’. Multiple officers were injured with one officer hit on the head by a chair. Another officer was kicked and knocked off his motorcycle by a demonstrator.
Merseyside Police said two officers had been taken to hospital amid the disorder – one with a suspected broken nose and another with a suspected broken jaw. Families who had taken their children to see a Disney Princess cruise ship nearby were forced to flee the violence.
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A mob of around 300 people then began to assemble near County Road Mosque in Walton at around 8.30pm after far-right social media channels called for people to gather there during the evening.
Police put up a wall of officers in riot gear in a bid to protect the building. Bricks and stones were thrown at officers and around 15 riot vans were deployed to the scene from various police forces including Lancashire and North Wales Police.
Bricks and fireworks were hurled at officers holding riot shields while bins were regularly set on fire. The masked rioters then began targeting local businesses. At one stage a dad pleaded with masked thugs not to burn a terraced shop so his children were safe, the LiverpoolEcho reports.
A local convenience store was set ablaze during the chaotic scenes after rioters entered en masse and looted a number of items including the till. Other shops were broken into and a number of wheelie bins and industrial bins were torched.
The Spellow Library and Community Hub library, a ‘one stop shop for one of the most deprived’, was then set alight with flames visible inside the building within minutes. As firefighters arrived rioters attempted to stop them tackling the blaze, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.
In a statement issued on Sunday morning, Merseyside Police said the Spellow Library and Community Hub has been left severely damaged after the fire.
The statement said: “Last night (Saturday, 3 August) approximately 300 people were involved in violent disorder on County Road, Walton.
“The group gathered at around 8pm and from the start were intent on committing serious violence and disorder, which resulted in community facilities being set on fire.
“The Spellow Lane Library Hub, which was opened last year to provide a much needed one stop shop for one of the most deprived communities in the country, has suffered severe damage to the ground floor. When firefighters arrived those gathered tried to stop them, without success, from getting to the fire to put it out. They even threw a missile at the fire engine and broke the rear window of the cab.
“Also set on fire was a local convenience store which provides a vital service for the community, earlier a number of people had entered the shop en masse and stolen a number of items including the till.
“Other shops were broken into and a number of wheelie bins and industrial bins were set on fire. During the day 23 arrests were made. Twelve people were arrested for the disorder in the city centre, nine people were arrested for the disorder on County Road and two people were arrested in connection with disorder in Southport.”
Addressing the disorder in the County Road area last night, Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said: “The violence and damage caused on County Road this evening is sickening and nothing can excuse the deplorable behaviour seen on our streets today. 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.
“Throughout the day our officers have been confronted with violence on the streets of the city centre and on County Road. Firefighters who attended to put out a fire at the Spellow Lane Library Hub were also confronted by the group who tried to prevent them putting out the fire. These actions are utterly despicable.
“Many of those involved were young people and sadly, they were probably local. We are urging parents and guardians to make sure they know where their children are and what they are up to.
“I would appeal to anyone who witnessed the violence, or who knows those who were involved to contact us so we can find them and bring them to justice. In the coming days we will be examining footage from police body worn cameras and CCTV footage to identify the culprits.
“I would like to thank our officers, and officers West Midlands, Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, Cumbria and Greater Manchester, who have been so professional throughout the day, and have bravely stepped up to the plate despite having bricks, wheelie bins, industrial bins and other items thrown at them.
“I would also like to thank Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service for their support, the North West Ambulance Service and staff at the Royal University Hospital who have provided medical assistance to our injured officers and Liverpool City Council, who will be out in the early hours of the morning trying to clean up the street and restore some semblance of normality.”
