Three Middlesbrough neighbours on ‘horrendous’ day rioters struck
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Flames rise from a car in Parliament Road
When a mob of rioters came to Middlesbrough on Sunday, they left a trail of destruction with cars set alight, front doors kicked in and people left terrified in their own homes.
Cleveland Police called the violence “staggering”, with 43 people arrested after an event that started at the town’s cenotaph.
Disorder has erupted in various towns and cities in the UK since three young girls were killed in Southport, as false claims on social media said someone who had arrived in the UK illegally was to blame.
In Middlesbrough, Aneeqa Akhtar, 17, Anne Romaine, 69, and a 28-year-old shop owner, who did not want to be named, all live and work near Parliament Road – one of the main areas affected by the disorder.
They told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme what happened, how it felt and what the future holds.
‘They tried to get into our house’
Aneeqa Akhtar, 17, lives in with her parents and two younger siblings.
“On that day, we were aware the rioters were coming. We closed all the blinds and curtains, windows, whatever I could lock,” she said.
Aneeqa said the family went upstairs as it was “not safe to be downstairs”, having seen the extent of the damage elsewhere on social media.
Protesters were seen smashing car windows as they walked through residential streets, with one seen using a racial slur while shouting which car “are we going to smash next?”
Aneeqa said: “When they came to our area, you could just see the destruction of everything. They first tried to get into our house, open the door, but they could not.
“We have a window on top of the door – they tried to smash that…”
She said her siblings were scared during the riots, asking her: “If they come in, what’s going to happen to us? Are we going to die?”
The family’s car, which Aneeqa said is now a “write-off”, was then targeted, with people jumping on the windscreen and roof.
She said the “traumatic experience” was especially scary for her mum, who moved to the UK 20 years ago. The family has lived in their home for 12 years.
Aneeqa said her mum is a carer for a young girl, who she was not able to visit that night without her car.
When they went outside to assess damage, she felt the family were being looked at in a different way.
“You could just see people looking, staring, seeing what’s happened,” she said. “The car was a survival resource. We have nothing now.
“This is going to stay with us for a long time. The way this targeted Muslims is scary.”
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Riot police in Middlesbrough on Sunday
‘We could see cars burning’
Anne Romaine, 69, lives across the park from Aneeqa’s family. She has lived in the area for decades and worries about the future for her children and grandchildren, who are mixed race.
On the night of the riots, she did not go out.
“We could hear it. We could see the cars burning at the top of my street,” she said.
“It was very frightening, if you were a person of colour. I was lucky, I had the privilege of my white skin.
“Mainly, they were all children – there were no grown ups. It was mindless vandalism. They looted the shops. Some of those people work 14-hour days to keep their businesses going.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a deprived area but it’s not the best. And it’s very, very sad that there’s carnage around.”
‘It is ruining people’s lives’
The shop owner, who did not want to be named, said he was aware of the planned protest and was following what was happening on TikTok.
“As soon as they’ve come to our street, what we’ve had to do is quickly put the shutters down,” he told Today. “I think if we’d left it 10 seconds later, they would have actually been inside the store.
“We had to get inside then watch from our CCTV what was going on outside.
“It was just horrendous, just really, really shocking. It’s been upsetting – I’ve been speaking to the neighbours, who’ve had their windows smashed, their car windows smashed.
“It’s nothing we see in our normal day-to-day. It’s ruining a lot of people’s lives, and livelihoods.
“They can’t go to work, they can’t make ends meet.”
Asked about the aftermath of the riots, he said: “The general public feel like they’ve been failed by the police because they couldn’t keep them under control. But from their side, they were outnumbered. We’re just looking at ways it can be prevented in the future.”
Asked if, as a Muslim, he had encountered racism like this before, he said “never”.
“Never in my life,” he added. “I’ve never witnessed anything like it.
“They’re trying to protest about three kids that have been killed in Southport, but the hidden agenda behind it is just hate towards Muslims.”
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A group of men gathered to protect a mosque
Talking about the rioters, Anne said: “This is not what we are. We are a welcoming town and we are very strong, we’re a strong community.”
She said “whatever their hidden agenda is – to divide the people up – has backfired”.
Hundreds of volunteers took to the streets in the hours after the riot to clean up the streets.
There was significant damage to the town’s crown court, university and a number of properties in the Parliament Road area.
Assistant Chief Constable David Felton described the level of violence as “staggering” and noted the “shocking scenes” would have caused alarm.
He vowed to identify those responsible for the violence and put them before the courts.
Cleveland Police said 28 people aged between 16 and 56 were due to face magistrates on Tuesday following violent the riots.
“All it has done is to make people gel together. We are a community. The Asian people have been in this town for decades,” Anne added.
“It’s not separated us at all. We are strong. We have shown that as one people. We’ll clean up the area. They haven’t accomplished anything.”
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Residents came out on the streets to clear debris
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