I never thought I’d be ashamed to be from Hull – until now
I’ve always said Hull’s best feature is the people who live there. They are warm, friendly and full of fun. They have no airs or graces and go out of their way to help each other.
As a working class girl born and bred in the city, whenever we’re mentioned I always feel a sense of pride.
But, this weekend, as I watched the aftermath of a night of violence and chaos that set Hull alight following protests involving far-right hooligans, I felt an entirely new emotion: shame.
I felt ashamed and embarrassed to be from Hull.
As I scanned social media, I couldn’t believe I was from the city as the people participating in this abhorrent behaviour – it was embarrassing.
Of course, my city is not the only one to be marred by the actions of a violent mob.
The Southport attack, which, let’s not forget, left three young children dead, sparked a wave of false information across social media that the suspect in the crime was a recent asylum seeker, when, in fact, he was born in Cardiff.
But, our far-right activists have never let the truth get in the way of a good riot.
On Friday night, unrest in Sunderland led to far-right demonstrators targeting a mosque and setting fire to a police station. It was only a matter of time before these riots moved on to other towns and cities across the UK.
When I read in a national newspaper on Friday evening that a protest was planned for Hull the next day, my first thought was my family’s safety.
I messaged my mum and my brother, Lee to check if they wouldn’t be going anywhere near the City Centre the next day, and obsessively scanned the local Facebook groups that were abuzz with activity.
Ironically, Lee was heading to enjoy the Humber Street Sesh festival in the Hull Marina less than a mile away from the rioting.
The festival prides itself on showcasing unity and bringing people together – but was overshadowed by the disgusting scenes elsewhere in the city.
The violence began in Hull on Saturday afternoon when protestors targeted the Royal Station Hotel. The building had its windows smashed after being attacked with missiles because it is believed locally to house asylum seekers – during the attack, children were also staying in the hotel.
It was shocking to witness, even online, and as more chaos ensued, my sense of shame only grew.
Several shops were broken into and looted, including a Greggs, with a Shoe Zone store set on fire, while police were attacked with bricks and fireworks and cars set on fire.
In case it wasn’t any more obvious, this was a clear sign the rioting had nothing to do with the tragedy in Southport.
The building had its windows smashed after being attacked with missiles because it is believed locally to house asylum seekers
One sickening moment, in particular, was when a racist mob dragged an Asian man out of his car while calling him a p***.
It was despicable – this isn’t the Hull I know.
In my city, we have always historically stood up to racism and fascism.
In 1937, fascist leader Oswald Mosley was behind one of the most violent chapters in Hull’s political history; he held a rally in the city, and after a violent protest, he was driven out by thousands of anti-fascist dockers and railway workers.
Since 2007, it has been home to the Freedom Festival – an arts event inspired by the legacy of our own William Wilberforce, who played a prominent part in abolishing the slave trade in Britain in the early 1800s.
I was ashamed to be from Hull this weekend – but our true side was evident in the aftermath of the riots.
The Hull community came together when it counted and didn’t let the minority of people involved in the violence affect them.
Volunteers turned up armed with brushes on Sunday morning to clean up the mess made during the night’s disorder, and that is what Hull is all about – community spirit at its finest.
We are a strong, resilient city, and we will rise above this barbaric thuggery.
Setting fire to a shoe shop and looting a Greggs says a lot about the individuals involved in these riots in Hull, and their true motivations.
It’s embarrassing for them that they had to stop at these low levels; these criminal acts won’t bring about change – they will only impact the livelihoods of the employees of these companies, which is highly unfair.
Yesterday, violence erupted in the towns of Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Aldershot, Bolton and Weymouth, and Prime Minister Keir Stamer issued a stark warning to these far-right thugs bringing unrest to our towns and cities and made it clear there is no place for it on our streets.
No one in this country should have to be made to feel ashamed of their city – but, more importantly, no one should be made to feel unsafe.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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