“It’s NOT RACIST To Say That” | Sunderland Riots | Peter Cardwell

A protest in Sunderland spiralled into a night of “criminal thuggery“ as a police station was set on fire and objects were hurled at officers. Eight people were arrested for offences ranging from violent disorder to burglary following riots sparked by the Southport stabbings. Three police officers were hospitalised with injuries, two of whom required further treatment. The chaos erupted in Keel Square, where police faced a barrage of projectiles while trying to control a crowd of several hundred protesters. With a helicopter circling overhead, young men threw stones at officers, chanting “whose streets? Our streets.“ Protests are expected in Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster, Glasgow, Hanley, High Wycombe, Hull, Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, St Helens, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, and Wrexham. Peter Cardwell speaks with chief reporter covering Sunderland for The Chronicle, D