Liverpool riots: I got trapped in the far-right protests and my view of the city has changed

Earlier this week, details of an anti-immigration protest in Liverpool began to be shared on social media, with protestors told to gather at the Pier Head at 2.00pm on Saturday. As a result, counter protestors too planned to meet on Liverpool’s waterfront, standing in solidarity with the minorities being targeted by the far-right.

Arriving at the Pier Head shortly after 2.00pm, I was met with thousands of protestors and a large police presence. The two sides were separated by a wall of officers. As someone who has always considered Liverpool to be a diverse and accepting city, I was shocked to see large signs stating ‘stop the boats’ and ‘not fascist, just fathers’, and hear some terrible Islamophobic slurs.

Unable to gain access to the counter-protestors for quite some time, I stood amongst the far-right protestors, many of whom were believed to be supporters of the EDL. Many were wearing balaclavas or face coverings, and while the protests were reported as ‘peaceful’ for the first hour or so, I quickly witnessed people throwing unknown items at police and discussing violence with one another. The counter-protestors were definitely the loudest voices at this point though, chanting ‘Liverpool is anti-fascist’ behind the police wall.

Large numbers of riot police and police dogs could be seen, with officers telling aggressive protestors to ‘stay back or you’ll be bit’. Youths cycled around on their bikes, donning full tracksuits and balaclavas, and many protestors were seen drinking cans of lager and wearing union jacks.

As police continued to successfully separate the two sides, the anti-immigration protestors began to get more agitated, running towards officers and saying to each other, ‘Are we having it or what?’. I even heard one group discussing ‘petty [petrol] bombs’. Police officers stood calmly as an angry protestor got right up to their faces shouting, ‘You’re not British, you’re not Scouse, you’re a disgrace’.

Once I managed to cross the police barricade, I spoke to counter protestors who said they ‘couldn’t believe’ what was happening and talked about the hypocrisy of rioters showing up in Liverpool FC kits when ‘half the team are immigrants’. As I spoke to one woman holding a sign which read, ‘Protect us from the EDL’, a glass bottle was hurled towards us. At this point, motorists were still able to access the Strand, but it was soon closed as the two sides began to meet.

By now, about 90 minutes had passed so I attempted to leave the protests and head to Doogles - the whole reason I was in town anyway - to grab my partner a doughnut. After I had bought his sweet treat, I saw Mann Island strewn with bricks. Protestors had begun to hurl bricks towards officers and I witnessed people collecting up the bricks and walking down the Strand with missiles in each hand. Voi scooters were also being thrown and lay across the road, and one man was using a large broom as a weapon.

As I began to feel more unsafe, I started to head back to Liverpool ONE and saw clouds of smoke along the Strand. Protestors were definitely becoming increasingly violent and were attempting to rile up officers. One officer told a man to ‘move along’ and he responded by squaring up to him screaming ‘Police brutality’ over and over. The most shocking thing though was just how much far-right protestors seemed to be enjoying themselves, with one lady discussing what a great time she was having. I even heard children - who can’t have been older than 12-years-old - discussing whether they should be violent or not, with one saying ‘na, you can get life for that’. Despite initially thinking, ‘Okay, maybe most of these people aren’t from Liverpool’, I was saddened by the sheer amount of angry Scouse voices I could hear. Once I was out of the riots, I headed towards Liverpool Central station, walking up past Church Street. Here, I heard a man shouting the N word over and over, before shouting racist slurs directly at a stall offering free copies of the Quran. He was met with many people telling him to stop, and he eventually moved on. Continuing up the street, I saw that the IFix Phone shop had been smashed and looted. The shutters were down but members of staff soon emerged who told me, ‘they took everything’. Members of the public came over to apologise for the despicable behaviour of protestors, but sadly, the shop became a target again a few hours later.

Arriving at Central, I saw dozens of response officers and began to receive messages on X letting me know that rioters were planning to continue the protests on County Road. I even received messages from members of the Muslim community asking me if it was ‘safe to return’ to the Pier Head yet, which just broke my heart.

As the violence worsened throughout the evening, and into the night, I awoke this morning feeling disgusted in the city that I have always loved so dearly. Using the horrific killings of three innocent little girls as an excuse for hate and violence is a disgrace, and is taking away from what really matters here - remembering Elsie, Alice and Bebe.