Blackburn with Darwen Council boss praises riots restraint

Councillor Phil Riley hailed local people's refusal to be drawn into the violence and disorder at the authority's full Council Forum on Thursday night.

After the three young girls were killed, far-right thugs travelled to the seaside town to cause chaos, with similar riots erupting in other parts of the country due to the spreading of false information on social media about the identity of the assailant.

A Welsh teenager, Axel Rudakubana, who was living in Banks, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

The riots saw mobs clash with police, criminal damage and looting of shops, and in Rotherham thugs tried to torch a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Far right thugs travelled to Southport to cause carnage as the town grieved its losses Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, promoted a far-right event in Blackburn, but this never materialised.

Addressing the council, Cllr Riley said: "The tail end of the summer saw some troubling scenes up and down the country with the UK experiencing a level of trouble, disorder and chaos we have not seen for a very long time.

"While we recognise that Blackburn with Darwen was not as significantly impacted by the trouble as other areas, there were residents directly affected by the tragic events in Southport.

"We experienced various challenges and pressures locally as a result of what was going on, not least due to the incredibly unhelpful social media postings that were used to spread unnecessary fear and concern, particularly among the town’s Asian heritage communities.

"We’ve been working with our neighbouring authorities and the Local Government Association on the recovery process.

"Unlike many places, the people of Blackburn with Darwen were not drawn into engaging in violence and disorder and that highlights the civic pride and togetherness that exists in our borough.

Violence and criminality erupted across the country as the far-right used the Southport incident as an excuse to riot"Community cohesion and integration is a priority for the council and has been for a number of years.

"I believe the level of work we have put in is why we didn’t experience the level of disorder seen elsewhere and that is a source of pride that we can all share.

"We have made direct representations to the government in the aftermath of the disorder to ask that appropriate resources and funding remain available to support activities around community cohesion. "

Council customer services boss Cllr Mahfooz Hussain gave the meeting further details of the activities undertaken to prevent the disorder from spreading to the borough.

He said: "Following the tragic stabbing of three young girls in Southport on July 29, the council has been involved in Operation Eskin, a coordinated multi-agency response in Lancashire to manage the subsequent unrest.

"On August 3, a police-led multi-agency briefing was held, and the Blackburn with Darwen Emergency Control Centre (ECC) was established.

"A large policing operation was in place across the county, which included significant resources across the borough.

"Despite fears, no right-wing protests occurred, but a peaceful anti-racism march took place.

"The activation of the ECC played a crucial role in coordinating the response and providing support to local staff and communities.

"The efforts involved significant time and resources, highlighting the challenges of managing misinformation and ensuring community safety."