One year on: The lasting scars of the North East riots
A year ago, riots swept through parts of the North East sparking days of unrest and causing lasting damage.
Thousands of rioters took to the streets - leaving lives, homes and businesses in disarray.
Violent disorder flared up in different parts of the UK over the space of a week, including in Hartlepool, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
It began after misinformation spread online over the identity of a suspect involved in a stabbing attack at a children's dance class in Southport, Merseyside, on 29 July 2024 - where three young girls were killed.
The riots, which followed, were fuelled by false claims on social media that the perpetrator of the Southport attack was a Muslim and an illegal immigrant.
An information vacuum allowed a false narrative to develop, that was picked up and amplified by far right sources.
In some cities across the UK, rioters set fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, and launched bricks and fireworks at police.
The violence left a trail of destruction across several towns and cities.
ITV Tyne Tees revisited some of the hardest-hit areas to hear how residents are coping, one year on.
31 July - Hartlepool
The first riot to strike the region was in Hartlepool. It started off in Murray Street.
On the same street you will find Mason's Cafe. Tony at the cafe has said he was 'not surprised' that the riots happened.
"The North East has changed quite a bit," he said.
He continued: 'It will happen again.'
Ezekiel, from Nigeria, settled down in Hartlepool two years ago. He said: 'There has been a lot of misconceptions of immigrants, and I think what the Government, and the council has done, to include everyone.
"Whether they are British citizens or immigrants, everyone feels safe with one another. And also to remove all those misconceptions in general."
2 August - Sunderland
The next place in the region to flare up in violence was in Sunderland.
Rebaz, who is a Kurdish immigrant, was watching over his city centre barber shop when the riots began. He recalled the day, and how people shouted several racial slurs at him.
He believes that it was "outsiders" who came into Sunderland to start the riot, and not local people.
'Sunderland is the best city and has the best people in the UK," he said.
The mob also set fire to the Citizens Advice Bureau - which was next door to the police station - in the city centre.
'It was heart breaking", Sunderland Citizens Advice chief officer Denise Irving said.
She continued: 'I think everybody in the community was shocked.'
The following day saw hundreds of people from the community come together, to clean up the destruction left behind.
'Sunderland is a tight community that does look after each other," Ms Irving said.
4 August - Middlesbrough
A few days later, unrest spread to the streets of Middlesbrough.
Videos circulated online of rioters stopping cars in the town centre, asking drivers about the colour of their skin.
In the clips, people were heard asking, "Are you white?" and "Are you English?"
Nearby was Innocent Adeboye, a Nigerian law student, who was at home with his young family. Despite being fearful, Mr Adeboye said he still remembers the support of the white locals, who formed a protective guard outside his home.
"They protected us," he said.
For shop owner Arthur Thompson, he says that the mood in the area is still tense.
'You do feel tension between English people and the people who do live down here.
'There is resentment, because people believe that they get everything, and English people don't, and that's what they think," he said.
There have been concerns raised about the potential for more trouble, and the need to improve opportunities, and bolster social cohesion in the deprived areas where trouble flared.
Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald said: "It's so easy to trigger the negative responses, we hear it all the time, if any development is talked about suddenly it's going to be hostile for asylum seekers and so on.
"This sort of thing, it's got its own momentum behind it. We got to think more critically about what's going on, and be proud of our community, and the good things that are going on."
Help and support
If you or someone you know has experienced a hate crime or hate incident, you can get help from hate crime support services.
You can get help from Victim Support - this is an independent charity that can:
.
You can also report it to the police.
If you want to report the crime or incident to the police, it's a good idea to contact a hate crime support service first. They can help you work out what to say in your report.
Check how to report a hate crime to the police.
If you don't want to talk to the police, you can ask an independent organisation to report it for you anonymously. These organisations are called 'third party reporting centres'.
In an emergency, you should call 999.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
26 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Tories demand Reeves ‘urgently rule out' investment tax hikes
The Tories claim scrapping the £500 dividend allowance will drag an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying investment levies. The party is seeking to pile pressure on ministers after a memo sent by Angela Rayner to Ms Reeves, in which the Deputy Prime Minister suggested a series of tax hikes, was leaked to the press. In the document, Ms Rayner proposed removing the dividend allowance to raise around £325 million a year in revenue, as well as axing inheritance tax relief for AIM shares and increasing dividend tax rates, the Telegraph reported. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'The Government need to urgently rule out these tax hikes on savers and investors before speculation causes further economic harm. 'Labour don't understand how business works and how to create growth. More taxes on investment, entrepreneurship and saving are the last thing our economy needs right now.' The Government's U-turns over welfare reform and winter fuel payments have left the Chancellor with a multibillion-pound black hole to fill, fuelling speculation that she will seek to raise revenue through tax hikes. The Tories claimed axing the dividend allowance would drag 'an estimated 5.22 million more people into paying dividend tax'. This figure appears to be based on an assumption that at least 8.82 million people in the UK hold shares that pay dividends. Some 3.6 million are already subject to dividend tax, according to data obtained by investment platform AJ Bell through a Freedom of Information request. The Chancellor last year said she would not be 'coming back with more borrowing or more taxes' after her first budget but has since refused to rule out raising specific levies, saying it would be 'irresponsible' to do so. A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'The Conservatives have some brass neck. They've still not apologised for the damage caused by the Liz Truss mini-Budget, nor the £22 billion black hole they left – which hammered firms and families across the country. 'Labour is doing more to support business than the Tories ever could. 'We've already delivered three historic trade deals and four interest rate cuts – to reduce costs and put money back in people's pockets.'
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Detentions expected 'within days' as UK-France migrant returns deal comes into force
The UK and France's "one in, one out" deal to return migrants who cross the Channel on small boats comes into force on Tuesday, with detentions expected to begin within days. The deal, which has now been approved by the European Commission, means the UK will be able to send people crossing the Channel in small boats back to France in exchange for asylum seekers with ties to Britain. It also means that anyone arriving in a small boat can be detained immediately, and space has been set aside at immigration removal centres, in the expectation that detentions will begin within days. The ratification of the treaty comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed the "one in, one out" pilot scheme last month. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'This is the product of months of grown-up diplomacy, delivering real results for British people, as we broker deals no government has been able to achieve and strike at the heart of these vile gangs' business model. 'The days of gimmicks and broken promises are over – we will restore order to our borders with the seriousness and competence the British people deserve.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "For the first time, under this groundbreaking new treaty, people who undertake illegal, dangerous journeys to the UK – putting lives at risk and fuelling organised crime – can be returned to France. "In return, we will take people who apply legally with appropriate documentation to be transferred to the UK, subject to clear eligibility criteria and stringent security checks." Cooper added: 'It is also right to make clear that – while the UK will always be ready to play its part alongside other countries in helping those fleeing persecution and conflict – this must be done in a controlled and managed legal way, not through dangerous, illegal, and uncontrolled routes." Under the new agreement, adult migrants who cross the Channel on a small boat can be returned to France if their claim for asylum is considered inadmissible. An equal number of migrants who pass security checks will also be eligible to come to the UK through a new, legal route if they have not attempted to cross the Channel before. Anyone who arrives on a small boat and is returned to France will not be eligible to apply for the legal route to the UK, the Home Office said. Migrants in France who want to come to the UK legally will be able to submit an Expression of Interest application online, but will need to "satisfactorily establish" their identity and nationality, as well as pass security and eligibility checks. The returns treaty will remain in force until 2026, and will be continually reviewed by both the UK and France. The government says returns to other countries and immigration work will continue alongside the treaty, adding that they have returned more than 35,000 people who do not have the right to be in the UK within the last year. But opposition parties have criticised the deal amid reports that the pilot scheme will see only 50 people a week returned to France while this year has seen a weekly average of more than 800 people make the crossing. The deal has also been criticised by refugee charities, which have urged the government to provide more safe, legal routes for asylum seekers instead. Ministers have so far declined to say how many people could be returned under the deal, and insist that if the pilot is successful the figure will increase. It comes as the Home Office announced £100 million of extra funding to support the returns agreement between the UK and France on Monday. The cash will also pay for up to 300 more National Crime Agency (NCA) officers and new technology and equipment to step up intelligence-gathering on smuggling gangs. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp attacked the plans, saying they would return 'just 6% of illegal arrivals' and 'make no difference whatsoever'. He added: 'The Rwanda removals deterrent, under which 100% of illegal arrivals would be removed, was ready to go last summer but Labour cancelled it just days before it was due to start with no proper replacement plan. As a result, this year so far has been the worst ever for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. 'Only removing all illegal immigrants upon arrival will provide the necessary deterrent to stop the crossings. This is the Conservative plan, but Labour is too weak to implement it and as a result they have lost control of our borders.' While the Conservatives' Rwanda plan was in theory uncapped, it was expected to take only around 1,000 asylum seekers in its first five years of operation thanks to limited capacity in the East African nation. The plan, which Starmer had previously dismissed as a 'gimmick', was scrapped as one of the first acts of the incoming Labour Government last year.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer hails major UK-France deal to tackle Channel small boat crossings
The 'one-in, one-out' pilot scheme could see some adult migrants who make the Channel crossing at risk of return if their claim for asylum is considered inadmissible A major treaty between the UK and France attempting to tackle dangerous Channel crossings is set to come into force tomorrow. The"one-in, one-out" pilot scheme could see some adult migrants who make the crossing at risk of return if their claim for asylum is considered inadmissible. In exchange, people with a legitimate claim to live in Britain will be sent in their place under the treaty, which remains in force until June 2026. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron reached the agreement last month during the French President's state visit to the UK. It was agreed the scheme would begin as a pilot and is the first returns deal struck with France since Britain left the European Union. It comes after Nigel Farage appearances on Sky News sparked thousands of complaints. Keir Starmer said: 'This government has been fixing the foundations of the broken asylum system we inherited and today we send a clear message – if you come here illegally on a small boat you will face being sent back to France. 'This is the product of months of grown-up diplomacy delivering real results for British people as we broker deals no government has been able to achieve and strike at the heart of these vile gangs' business model. 'The days of gimmicks and broken promises are over – we will restore order to our borders with the seriousness and competence the British people deserve.' Ministers have previously declined to say how many migrants could be returned. But reports have suggested the pilot will be capped at 50 a week - around 2,600 each year. The Home Office said ratification of the treaty comes after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau signed the final text last week. They said the EU Commission had also given the green-light to the scheme, which Ms Cooper described as "groundbreaking". She said under the deal "people who undertake illegal, dangerous journeys to the UK – putting lives at risk and fuelling organised crime – can be returned to France". She added: "In return, we will take people who apply legally with appropriate documentation to be transferred to the UK, subject to clear eligibility criteria and stringent security checks. 'This is an important step towards undermining the business model of the organised crime gangs that are behind these crossings – undermining their claims that those who travel to the UK illegally can't be returned to France." 'It is also right to make clear that – while the UK will always be ready to play its part alongside other countries in helping those fleeing persecution and conflict – this must be done in a controlled and managed legal way, not through dangerous, illegal, and uncontrolled routes." On Monday the Home Office also announced a £100million boost to border security to pay for up to 300 additional National Crime Agency Officers. The cash will also fund a pilot of the 'one-in, one-out' returns deal with France.
