Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Liverpool leaders urge 'truth and reconciliation' amid rising racist riots

Riots in the Liverpool region followed the killing of three girls on July 29

Liverpool leaders urge 'truth and reconciliation' amid rising racist riots

SHOCKED by violence on the streets of Liverpool as racist riots spread across the country this week, community leaders in the once close-knit city say people need to talk with rioters and disaffected residents, not just punish or shun them.

In a letter addressed to the city's council and politicians, heads of sports and arts collectives called for a local "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" to re-open lines of communication they argue were severed by social media and the Covid pandemic.


The original such commission, set up to deal with apartheid-era crimes in South Africa, included amnesty for those who fully disclosed their role in human rights abuses and recommended reparations payments.

Riots in the Liverpool region followed the killing of three girls on July 29 during an attack at a dance event for children in Southport, 15 miles (24 km) to the north of the city.

False information circulated on social media that the suspect was an Islamist migrant, which led to violent protests in Southport and across England over following days targeting Muslims and ethnic minorities more broadly.

Emile Coleman, who runs the Toxteth EL8TE basketball centre for local young people of varying backgrounds, authored the letter after hearing parents express their concern for the safety of their children.

The project "strives to be a positive force" for Toxteth, a deprived area of Liverpool, but Coleman now hires taxis to collect attendees, as parents worry that the streets have become unsafe for children from ethnic minorities.

Police say swift enforcement, including hundreds of arrests, helped quell the riots but are on alert for more trouble.

"My instinct, personally, would be to deal with (rioters) in a very direct manner - but I know that we have to form a way of having dialogue and engagement," said Coleman.

"We want to sit and engage with everyone, because if you remove that voice you are going to have more issues and more violence."

The young athletes who attend Toxteth EL8TE said they were stunned by the anger directed towards people of colour.

"I never knew something like this could ever happen. And I never knew how people could be so racist. So it's quite shocking," said 15-year-old basketball player Binah Kamber.

Coleman cited a change in Liverpool's fabric after the pandemic, when lockdowns confined people to their homes and some residents found comfort in online conspiracy theories, driving them to acts they would not have otherwise committed.

"The sadness is that they have been misled, manipulated, indoctrinated and radicalised by the far right," Coleman said.

(Reuters)

More For You

ve-day-getty

VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival. (Photo: Getty Images)

Public invited to attend VE Day 80 procession and flypast

THE 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be marked with a military procession in London on May 5.

The event will include over 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, youth groups, and uniformed services marching from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less