Frontline Observations During Hanley Riot (3rd August 2024)

On hearing via social media that there might be a march/protest in Hanley (Stoke-on-Trent) due to the random and frenzied stabbing to death of three young children in Southport, I thought it would be a good idea to evaluate the march/protests/disturbance in an objective and fair representation being as I live and was brought up in the town of Hanley.? I was there for one hour and a half (13.30 – 15.00).

When I first arrived on the scene, there were around 200-250 loosely marching protesters walking through the city centre, along Town Road towards Forest Park. The flashpoint seemed to be located just past the bridge over the Potteries Way (by that silver tree on Forest Park).? At this juncture/intersection, large stones and fireworks came raining down on the police and the protesters from a group of Asian men (some were masked) who were congregated above near the Asian supermarket/restaurant in the ‘Golden Cup’ (pub) vicinity (see image). The loud bangs of the fireworks sounded like explosives amidst the bedlam. It was quite frightening.?

The protesters then began hauling stones at the police, whilst simultaneously, both the protesters and the group of Asian men remonstrated and goaded each other from a reasonably safe distance. ?

At one point one of the Asian men breached the bush ‘perimeter’ and rushed down the incline wielding a weapon that he swung above his head in a circular motion like a lasso; one of the protesters then went to meet him halfway. ?Both assailants then did an about-turn and retreated to their groups. At one point I did see a young lady hit on the head by a stone – she looked dazed.

At this time, on the corner of Quadrant Road, one protester pulled some very large boulders or 'big duckers' as we used to call them as kids, out of the ground and used them as missiles to be launched towards the police lines. It was perhaps a handful of the same protesters who were engaging in the stone-throwing. Four gas canisters measuring about 2 feet in length were also visible on the roundabout. Some protesters fashioned weapons from the roundabout hoardings, with one piece of masonry looking like a javelin. This potential weapon was then handed over to the police by one of the more rational protesters.

I did not see the police respond to the baiting, arrest or attack any of the protesters, but I did see the odd skirmish, once involving a police dog (usually after a protester attempted to cross the police lines). On the whole, it appeared the police contained the disturbance effectively which consisted of short surges towards the protesters.?

Amongst the largely local crowd of protesters (many of whom were rough and ready) I did not see the EDL, far-right extremists (whoever they are) or any racist behaviour displayed towards shoppers in town, or towards the odd black and Asian amongst the 200-250-person plus crowd, even though, pernicious hatred was on full show between the two opposing ethnic groups as aforementioned.

A section of the protesting crowd was alcohol/drug-fuelled and the odd one or two was smoking cannabis.? They appeared visually upset and angry. In sporadic bursts, some screamed diatribes up close toward the police line. ?Young masked lads on motorbikes were also caught up in the bizarre nature of it all, but I did not see any of them commit any serious acts of violence against another human being.?

Some were viewing the disturbance as an exciting day out, and adrenalin and testosterone were pumping out in seismic proportions, and some like me, were just observing, passing comment and filming.

Was it a riot/skirmish/civil unrest, or disorder, one can never really say? However, what I can say is that it was not pleasant for shoppers who were locked into the Potteries Shopping Centre when the protesters retreated back along Town Road.? Before the crowd had arrived back at the shopping centre, a standstill had occurred - ironically outside St John's Church which has been the centre of controversy because it has been earmarked to become a mosque.

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