Rioters caused chaos and extensive damage on Liverpool’s County Road last night (3 August), in what police described as “serious violent disorder”. A desperate father begged masked figures not to set fire to a terraced house to ensure the safety of his children, but a nearby library was set ablaze as looters targeted local shops.
The unrest began when crowds gathered near the County Road Mosque on Walton Street at around 8.30pm following calls on far-right social media to gather there that same evening. Police quickly deployed a number of officers in riot gear to protect the mosque from masked troublemakers who launched an aggressive attack on police.
Bricks and stones were thrown at police from a distance as more than 15 emergency vehicles arrived at the scene. Reinforcements arrived from various police forces, including Lancashire and North Wales. After an hour, some rioters managed to bypass the police cordon. A significant number of them gathered near a KFC branch to confront the police directly.
As the hail of bricks continued towards the police officers armed with riot shields, fireworks were distributed among the crowd and then fired at the officers. At the same time, rubbish bins were set alight, apparently to block the road, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The rioters were briefly repelled by police action, but the situation escalated when larger fireworks were used. The masked rioters were driven back to Home Bargains, where they turned their attention to local shops. One father pleaded with the looters from his window not to set fire to the shop as his children were upstairs, but the rampage continued to Spellow Library and the Community Hub, where windows were smashed and a fire quickly started.
Within minutes, flames were visible inside the building. Five trash cans were knocked over and set ablaze. As the inferno inside the library grew more intense, police officers pushed the rioters back. Some members of the mob continued their looting spree in nearby stores.
By the time Merseyside Fire Service returned to the scene, the situation had escalated to the point where police deployed four emergency vehicles to disperse the crowd, and officers charged with riot shields to force them past the Hale Road junction. By this time it was 11.35pm.
Looters took advantage of a sign they had torn down outside Home Bargains and broke down the shutters to steal alcohol, cigarettes and vapes, distributing the stolen goods among themselves. At 10.24pm, police issued a statement saying: “We can confirm there is a significant police presence on County Road in Walton as people were involved in serious violent disturbances this evening (Friday 2 August). Officers were dispatched to the area after receiving information of planned disturbances near a mosque.”
A Section 60 order has been put in place across Liverpool this evening, lasting until 8.40pm on Sunday, giving police additional powers to stop and search people suspected of possessing weapons or engaging in criminal activity.
Deputy Chief Constable Alex Goss said: “The people who brought such aggression and destruction to the heart of our communities do not represent the people of Merseyside and they certainly do not honour the memory of those three young girls who died so tragically on Monday.”
“They have instead attacked and in many cases seriously injured police officers who come to work every day to protect the public. They have spread fear on residential streets, targeted local businesses that provide a vital service to our communities, and damaged private property and infrastructure in the city.
“This is disgraceful and people who live, work and visit Merseyside do not want it to continue. We will not tolerate it. There were several young people among those involved that evening and we urge parents and guardians to ensure they know where their children are to keep them and others safe from harm.”
