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'There are kids here': Brave woman met with abuse after begging Liverpool youths to stop hurling bricks at police
4 August 2024, 08:22
Warning: the below video contains swearing
Police hospitalised and shops looted as 90 arrested in another night of disorder
A woman trying to stop thugs in Liverpool throwing bricks at riot police was met with a barrage of abuse on Saturday.
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The group of young men were smashing up bricks in order to hurl them at a line of riot police, as a protest descended into violence, like in several other cities this week.
The woman, who appears to be middle-aged, cycles up to the youths and tells them to stop.
In footage from the scene, the woman can be heard telling them to stop the violence because "that's not going to do nothing".
She tells them that "there are kids here", implying that they are compromising the children's safety.
In response, a young woman shouts at her: "We're doing this for our kids!"
She then repeatedly yells at the woman to "f*** off", getting increasingly agitated, until the woman cycles off from the crowd.
The riots were originally sparked by the killings of three young girls in Southport. False rumours spread online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.
In reality the suspect charged with the murders is a 17-year-old born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents.
Riots spread across the UK on Saturday again, with 90 people arrested.
In Liverpool, police were pelted with bricks, chairs, metal fences, flares and vapes which injured a female police officer.
A library was set on fire, after people gathered around a mosque that was being defended by police.
Chief Constable BJ Harrington said in a statement: "This week we have seen appalling behaviour that in no way shows compassion or respect for the little girls who were killed and injured last week.
It shows no respect for our communities, and it will be stopped.
"We know people will try and do this again in the coming days and policing has been and will continue to be ready.
"There are 130 extra units in place across the country, meaning almost 4,000 extra public order-trained officers to deploy.
"So if you're planning to cause trouble and disorder our message is very simple - we'll be watching you. Anyone committing a criminal offence will be detained and brought before the courts.
"In recent days we have seen criminals masquerading as protesters, causing senseless destruction.
"These people are not protesters, they're violent thugs - and many have already been arrested and charged."
