‘Nazis burn books – these have burnt a library’

Residents in Liverpool have spoken of their horror and disgust after hundreds of masked rioters descended on the city in a night of chaos.

Unrest broke out after a far-right demonstration took place in the city center on Saturday that quickly escalated into what police described as a ‘serious disorder’ with multiple officers injured.

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.

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 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 by 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.

A clean-up operation has begun with the people of County Road now left picking up the pieces from last night’s disorder, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Resident Debbie Stokes told the Liverpool Echo: “How scary it must have been for people living above these shops. This didn’t happen in my name.

“I’m disgusted to see what happened with the library. Nazis burn books – these have gone one step further and burnt a library.”

The Spellow Hub has been boarded up, with debris and significant damage visible inside.

Debbie added: “I feel sorry for people who don’t feel safe. We’ve walked up and down with the intention of asking anyone do they need help. I want to let them know that we don’t all feel the same way (as the rioters).

“We’ve already seen the more positive side of the community. Cups of tea, cups of coffee being given out. We offered to make drinks for the workmen. I’m really sad.

“I’m really sad we live in a society like this. Not in my name. I actually work in a library so to see one being destroyed – why?”

Street sweepers and council staff have joined people from the area for the clean up. Among them was John Jennings, a councilor for the County ward.

John told the Liverpool Echo: “Targeting the Spellow Library hub, which has recently been reopened, taking that away from children while they’re on their summer holidays is absolutely disgusting. We don’t appreciate it around County Road and we don’t want to see it again around our area.

“The violence and disorder yesterday was absolutely unacceptable. The police are there to do a service for us, they shouldn’t have to be fighting against people. Liverpool has always been known as a really friendly city but yesterday that didn’t come across.

“It’s great to see that so many people have come out here this morning and are helping to clean it up and try to get it back the way it was. We’ve had the street cleaner out since early this morning.

“I’m hoping it shows that this act of violence doesn’t achieve anything. You’ve seen what happened to Spellow Library Hub, not all areas have a library, to see what’s been done to it will hurt a lot of people. “

Patricia Harvey, 77, and Tommy McCallister, 47, spoke to the Liverpool Echo outside Home Bargains. Both were appalled by Saturday’s events.

Tommy said: “I don’t see how setting a library on fire is helping what they think is the cause. They’re coming out to be feral and to wreck the area for a laugh – people have got kids in this area, their “kids are petrified.”

Patricia said: “I went to Home and Bargain yesterday morning and the girl on the till told me to make sure I was back in by 7pm because there was going to be a big protest on County Road. The likes of us are terrified to go out – this is our community, it’s peaceful, we don’t want these demonstrations.”

“These thugs are there to get anything for nothing, that’s why they’ve got their faces covered. I feel so sorry for the police, they’re trying to do a good job but there’s that many of these people – it’s dreadful. I just hope that this is the last of it and it’s back to normal for us.”

Leaders in Liverpool today condemned the horrific scenes. Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said: “What we saw in Liverpool city center yesterday and later on in County Road was heartbreaking, despicable and not representative of our brilliant city. These were the actions of a small minority of mindless thugs, ramping through the city ​​center and then causing wanton destruction in County Road and it is utterly unacceptable.”

“The intelligence we had from Merseyside Police is that yes there were far right agitators in the city but some locals were involved. The vast majority of people in Liverpool are fantastic and are so proud of this city, but there is a small minority that don ‘t give a toss and have resorted to thuggery and serious violence.”