Andy Burnham ‘struggling to comprehend’ the ‘dangerous’ Newton Heath riots
One bus driver was among those injured in the violence
Andy Burnham says he is ‘struggling to comprehend’ the ‘despicable’ violence which erupted in Newton Heath last night (Wednesday 31st July) in the wake of the mass stabbings in Southport.
Some 40 people, including children and young men wearing balaclavas, gathered to protest outside a hotel in the north Manchester suburb. The demonstration turned violent as they spilled into Oldham Road and pelted police with bottles.
The Greater Manchester mayor is now calling for calm in the wake of the violence — believing the city-region is facing ‘a dangerous moment’.
“I am struggling to comprehend what happened last night,” he said.
“There’s a situation where people are rushing to judgement without the facts. No one knows the full story.
“It’s a despicable criminal act. I think we are in a dangerous moment. People need to step back.
“Greater Manchester is better than this… a random gathering attacking police and people with nothing to do with the situation in Southport.”
In a statement GMP said:
“Due to the early intervention from our officers this criminal behaviour thankfully didn’t cause any serious injury or damage. Two men aged 18 and 25 were later arrested for violent disorder and assault of an emergency worker and remain in custody at this time for questioning.”
On bus driver was also injured amid the violence - something that's been slammed by the boss of Transport for Greater Manchester.
Chief Network Officer, Danny Vaughan, said:
"There is no justification for the scenes that unfolded last night that left a bus driver injured and a vehicle damaged, and we wish them a quick recovery. The incident also resulted in multiple other buses being suspended due to safety concerns and this clearly impacted on the people who rely on those services too.
"We have colleagues working at all times of the day and night to help others get to where they need to go, and they should not have to worry about something like this happening to them at work, I'd encourage anyone with information to get in touch with the police."
Andy Burnham’s comments come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with police chiefs later today to offer them the government’s ‘full backing’.
He’s expected to reinforce the need to deal with criminals who ‘exploit the right to protest to sow hatred and carry out violent acts’, and to work with police forces across the UK to ‘stop mindless violence’ erupting on streets.