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Last week, riots fuelled by far-right sentiment, misinformation and disinformation, as well as what can only be described as violent criminality, took place throughout England. On Sunday 4 August, in Manvers near Rotherham, rioters smashed windows at the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel was being used to house asylum seekers.
The baying crowd was reportedly around 700 people strong ; they hurled chunks of wood, chairs and bottles, and caused panic and trauma for the people inside. The rioters also started fires and attacked police officers, injuring 10 and knocking one unconscious . “The violence and vitriol displayed towards refugees in hotels during the racist riots was extremely disturbing,” Francesca Albanese, the executive director of policy and social change at the homelessness charity Crisis, told me.
The team at Crisis has been working with grassroots organisations to provide support to those affected since the riots. “It cannot be understated how terrifying that would have been for people trapped inside who are seeking a chance at a better life away from persecution and war,” she said. Following the disorder in South Yorkshire on 4 August, South Yorkshire Police said 28 people have been charged.
However, this was not the only incident in las.