?? ‘Even if it isn't a Muslim, Muslims are still attacked’

Hello

It’s now been a week since the murderous attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, which has seen a series of violent riots spread across the country. Widespread unrest has followed the killing of three young girls last Monday, with, at the time of writing, 344 arrests made so far.

Yesterday missiles were thrown as police came under attack from a gang of demonstrators when a protest turned ugly in Bolton town centre. Opposing groups goaded each other as they were separated by police outside Bolton town hall.

And on Saturday afternoon fights broke out, a supermarket had to be closed and public transport was brought to a standstill amid a stand-off between far-right and anti-racist groups in Manchester city centre . But for many of Greater Manchester’s Muslim leaders the Islamphobia and the violence has come as no surprise.

"This is nothing to do with the Southport stabbing, it's to do with years and years of racist and Islamophobic rhetoric from the media and from politicians,” Jawad Amin, a community engagement officer at the Cheadle Masjid, told Ramazani Mwamba .

“What's shocking is the way it's happened. It's happened on the back of a false rumour that a Muslim was involved in the stabbing. In the past, when something bad happened you would say 'please Allah, let it not be Muslim'.

“Now we've got to the stage where, even if it isn't a Muslim, Muslims are still attacked. The deep undertones are racist and Islamophobic."?

A reason for hope?

Crime reporter John Scheerhout was in Bolton yesterday as far-right groups clashed with counter-protesters. But despite the ugly scenes, which saw bottles thrown and police cars smashed up, John hopes there is still reason for optimism during these turbulent times.

He writes how as he was being kettled by riot police away from Bolton town centre, walking side-by-side among about 300 mostly Asian men one of those men grabbed him ‘in a warm embrace’. “He held me tightly for a few strides and muttered something in my ear about telling the truth and how he was full of love, only love,” said John. “In that moment, I totally believed him.”

A few hours earlier John had spoken to a couple on the other side of the divide. Posing for a picture while holding placards saying ‘Stop the migrant invasion’ and ‘It’s not racist to impose limits on immigration’, Nyree and Jonathan Brown from Wigan, denied being racist and said they were angry at being characterised as ‘far right’.

“This country is on its knees. I’m not against immigration as a whole. It’s too much and it’s dangerous. We need to close the borders until we’re back on our feet,” said Nyree, 54.

“It struck me a man [the protester who embraced John] of such obvious warmth might get on with Nyree and Jonathan,” said John. “There will always be people who are beyond reason in such a polarising and furious debate, but as the dust settled following the trouble in Bolton, it struck me there are more than enough folk out there who, as angry and frustrated as they might get, have the capacity to find common ground.” Read more

A totem of change

While all around has changed, the Collyhurst totem has remained. Once surrounded by a 'vibrant' shopping parade, the concrete sculpture now stands alone in a derelict square.

However that could be about to change. There are plans to move the artwork, by renowned modernist artist William Mitchell, to a new location on the estate.? But as Maisie Grice discovered, not everyone’s happy about it…

Parking nightmare

Stockport is in the midst of a remarkable ￡1bn redevelopment. But the widespread building work is having an unwelcome knock-on effect for neighbouring residents.

“It's an absolute nightmare", says Sam, a resident in Edgeley, which has been plagued with parking problems over the last 18 months. "I don't go out because I don't want to lose my spot," she adds, pointing to rows of transit vans and cars parked on pavements along Posnett Street and Northgate Road next to Springmount Mill, where hundreds of luxury apartments are being built.

Carpenter Investments, the firm behind the work, said they are ‘very aware’ that parking is an important issue, and are ‘committed to finding the right balance of not disrupting residents’.? Declan Carey has more here...

Salford’s ‘hidden’ pub crawl

The Didsbury Dozen, the Otley Run and Stalybridge’s Ale Trail. Now you can add a new name to the list of must-do pub crawls.

The Eccles Beer Mile is regarded as a local secret by many, but now it's facing a surge in popularity. Stretching from the bridge on Barton Road to the tram stop on Regent Street, there is a run of 15 pubs and bars spread across an exact mile of Eccles and Patricroft.

Sarah Kassim, landlady of the Stanley Arms on Liverpool Road, says more and more groups of drinkers from across Greater Manchester are tackling the crawl, especially at Christmas? Alfie Mulligan has more here...

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Weather etc

Tuesday:?Sunny intervals changing to overcast by late morning, 22C. ???

Trains:?Buses run instead of trains via Bredbury and Marple on Northern between Manchester Piccadilly and Chinley and services being diverted via Stockport between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield due to engineering works until August 31. ??

Manchester headlines

?Airport arrests:?Police arrested four Just Stop Oil protesters near Manchester Airport this morning. Three women - aged 21, 30 and 53 - and a 23-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to cause a public nuisance. They were found with a number of 'items' that police believe 'would have been used to cause damage and significant disruption to the Airport and their operations'. More here

Stabbing:?A man and a woman were stabbed in Castlefield in the early hours of Sunday. Police and paramedics were called to the incident on Slate Wharf at around 12.30am. Read more

Crash:?Screaming residents ran out of their homes to help after a car dramatically flipped over in a four vehicle crash in Newton Heath . Police, paramedics and fire crews raced to the incident on Briscoe Lane in the early hours of Sunday.

??Worth a read

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?A biker was spotted riding down the Mancunian Way carrying a HUGE TV before throwing it at police. GMP shared a picture of the biker on X alongside the message ‘sometimes words fail us’.

The picture appeared to show the rider carrying the widescreen telly on their lap as they travelled down the road. They also appeared to be taking a selfie, holding their phone in the air as they drove the vehicle.? Read more

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