BRIAN READE: ‘Haters may try to divide us but they can never conquer our spirit'
WITH the shocked and injured still strewn across Water Street, the lies began to spew.
Without a thought for the fate of dozens of casualties hit by a driver at Liverpool's trophy parade, or the fears of hundreds of thousands of others who knew loved ones were present, the immigrant-haters, far-right trolls and conspiracy theorists frantically pushed their agenda on social media as they declared it a terrorist incident.
Tommy Robinson's X account called it 'suspected terror attack,' high-profile Reform UK supporter Ant Middleton deemed it a 'terrible terror-type incident' and warned: 'Do not believe anything that comes from police statements or the msm.'
The leader of the British First Party, Paul Golding, fired off four posts headlined 'POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK' while dozens more raged about uncontrolled Islamism, diversity destroying the West, Britain getting what it deserves due to opening its borders… and on and on the cesspit seethed.
They were all ignorant of the truth and all extremely dangerous. And what's worse they knew it. Which was why Merseyside Police, recalling what happened last summer in Southport, rushed out the news that the alleged perpetrator was a 53-year-old white, British man.
Which only further triggered the trolls as they demanded to know why the 'two-tier' police had mentioned his ethnicity. Is it because he was white, they asked? No. It's because you knuckle-scraping keyboard warriors had left them fearing another riot.
But something else was happening on social media platforms in the aftermath of Monday's incident, when transport was closed down in the ensuing chaos, leaving thousands of people who had travelled to Liverpool for the celebrations, stranded.
Locals were offering their phones to those without power, lifts to other towns and their spare bedrooms for those with nowhere to sleep.
Nathan Johnson, along with two friends, drove 26 people to different parts of the UK and arranged rides for many others. When, in the following days, the grateful recipients offered him petrol money, he told them to donate it to food banks.
John and Kerri Davies, who run J&K Travel, called in staff, mobilised four minibuses and spent six hours transporting more than 400 people across the Mersey to the Wirral, and would not take payment.
Oli Fountain was one of dozens offering somewhere to stay for the night, posting on X: 'Anyone stuck in town who can't get home give me a dm, have 2 sofas people can crash on, can put the kettle on and get people warm at least.'
People turned up at Lime Street railway station with food and drinks, taxi drivers offered free lifts and hospital staff abandoned their bank holiday plans and went into work.
This, along with the swift actions of the emergency services, was the real story of the human response amid Monday's panic.
This is the real truth about people in this country, especially in my home city of Liverpool. That most are a font of goodness who want to unite communities not divide them.
The individuals and political organisations who shout loudest about being the true patriots among us are often cowardly traitors consumed with prejudice. The real patriots are those who get on with helping others without caring what colour or race they are.
As the aftermath of Monday's horror showed: Heroes don't always wear capes, but villains always wear their keyboards out with hate.
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