A far-right mob has set fire to a hotel used to house migrants in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as police brace for more violence across the UK on Sunday.
Masked rioters, some draped in England flags, assembled outside a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Manvers, South Yorkshire, as they clashed with police.
After thugs threw bricks and smashed windows, footage emerged of a fire raging from a bottom-floor window as hotel guests looked on from the top floor. It is unclear if they were migrants.
The Aftermath of the Riots
A library was torched in Liverpool, Merseyside, after “violent thugs” descended on it and left part of the building reduced to ash.
Meanwhile, shoe shops, vape shops and cafes were destroyed in other towns and cities. In Belfast, a Syrian cafe owner said he had “no words” after his business was destroyed.
Authorities Brace for Continued Violence
Chief Constable BJ Harrington, who speaks on public order for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said authorities are prepared for people to “try and do this again in the coming days”.
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly hit out at the scenes in Rotherham, saying: “There is not and can never be any excuse, justification or rationale for behavior like this.
“This should be condemned by everybody, and those taking part should expect to be met with the full weight of the law.”
Protests in Middlesbrough
More than 300 protesters started marching through Middlesbrough at 4.25pm after gathering at the city’s Cenotaph.
They carried a banner saying: “Tom Jones is Welsh, Axel Rudakubana isn’t” and chanted “We want our country back” as they made their way through the city 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.
Condemnation from Rotherham MP
Rotherham’s Labour MP has denounced the far -right criminals attacking a hotel believed to be housing asylum-seekers.
Sarah Champion 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.”
Protests Spread Across the UK
Labour MP for Rotherham Sarah Champion has reacted to rioters causing chaos outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers.
“This is horrendous,” she wrote on X.
Demonstrators in Rotherham appear to be attempting to turn over a police van.
Footage shared on social media shows multiple masked men surrounding the police van as officers attempt to stop them.
IHG, the company that owns he Holiday Inn Express chain, have issued a short statement amid the chaos outside the Rotherham branch.
“The safety and security of our guests and colleagues is always our priority,” a statement sent to the BBC states.
Police Brace for Further Violence
At least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away by colleagues as riots resumed in the UK.
Chairs have been hurled at police and windows smashed as anti-immigration rioters broke into a hotel in Rotherham.
Objects including pieces of wood and chairs have been thrown at the Holiday Inn Express and at police officers who lined up in front of the building.
At least one injured officer in riot gear was carried away by colleagues.
Police Overwhelmed by the Mob
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.
Response from the Prime Minister
Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that those taking part in the unrest today and in recent days in England and Northern Ireland will “regret” it and will “face the full force of the law”.
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.”
Violence in Middlesbrough
Bricks and other objects have been thrown at a line of police in riot gear by a group of demonstrators, including some masked, in Middlesbrough.
Protesters 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 Forced to Close
Businesses, including McDonalds, locked their doors as hundreds walked down the streets.
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.
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.”
Anti-Racists Defend the Hotel
Anti-racists tried to defend the hotel against fascists but were forced to retreat
Fascists smashed their way into a hotel used to house refugees and set it on fire.
It could have led to mass killings. The fascists would have cheered had that happened.
Counter-Protest by Stand Up To Racism
A demo of up to 1,000 of the far right broke windows before crashing through the hotel entrance.
Around 200 anti-fascists from Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) staged a counter-demo but were forced to make an orderly retreat as fascists looked set to attack.
“We held the line but were outnumbered—we have to build SUTR everywhere, ” said Phil Turner from Rotherham TUC and SUTR.
“It must be terrifying for refugees housed at the hotel.”
Ebru, one of the people on the SUTR counter-protest later told a rally in Sheffield the fascists “kept coming. They are so confident and out for blood. They are running rampage. Shame on all those who allowed it to get to this point.”
Speaking at the same rally, Belle said she had “seen fascism in the face. The fascists wanted to kill people in a barbaric way. The police decided to kettle us, but didn’t apply that to the fascists.”
Call for Action
Honour to all those who have opposed the fascists and racists. But what will it take to make the trade union leaders move? The fascists nearly incinerated children on Sunday.
Shouldn’t there be a call for work stoppages, even for half an hour, to ram home the danger and organise resistance?
There must at least be a clear demand for total support and mobilisation for every counter-protest against the far right now.
Action Against Islamophobia and Racism
Backing the cops, the courts and the state to stop the fascists is useless—in fact it leads away from the action we need because it demobilises campaigners.
It’s time for two key drives. One, and the most urgent, is a much bigger and more active movement against Islamophobia and racism. It has to say refugees welcome and stand with Muslims and against the fascists in all their forms.
There has to be much more support for Stand Up To Racism and the rebuilding of local groups with roots.
We need this campaign in every locality and workplace with hundreds of thousands involved through mass propaganda, badges, posters, meetings, stalls, music and cultural events and more.
It has to link up all those horrified and angered by the far right on the streets.
A Call to Action
There must be tens of thousands on our side the next time Tommy Robinson holds a national march. That requires the trade union leaders, the independent MPs, all the anti-racist campaigns, and the Labour left to throw themselves into building the movement.
Within that movement, socialists have to argue for politics and action that target our real enemies—the bosses, the rich and the politicians who support them. As the government attacks pensioners and embraces austerity, the anger has to be drawn leftwards, not seized on by the far right.
Stand Up Against Genocide
We also need to stay on the streets for Palestine—resolute in the struggle against genocide and refusing to be intimidated from marching.
The millions who have marched against Israel’s crimes are a key component of the movement that can smash Robinson and Reform UK.
We have done it repeatedly before—we need to do it again.
The Power of Mobilization
The far right looks strong because it is not challenged extensively enough on the streets. But anti-racists are a much larger force if they can be mobilised. We can win.
Upcoming Protests
Monday 5 August
Plymouth: 6pm, Guildhall PL1 2BJ
Oxford: 5:30pm,, Carfax Tower
Wednesday 7 August
Lewisham: 7pm Clock Tower
Thursday 8 August
Brighton: 5.30pm, Clock Tower, North Street
Friday 9 August
Crawley: 5pm, Holiday Inn, Haslett Avenue East, Three Bridges, RH10 1UA
Saturday 10 August
Newcastle: 9.30am, Grey’s Monument
Shrewsbury: 12.30pm, The Square
Wakefield: 12.30pm, Cedar Court Hotel, Denby Dale Rd, Calder Grove, WF4 3QZ
It's Crucial to Confront the Fascists
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