Unity Against Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in Edge Hill

A Community Comes Together in Edge Hill

The residents of the vibrant southeast Liverpool neighborhood of Edge Hill found themselves on high alert last Wednesday, bracing for potential unrest. Concerned parents rushed to pick up their children early from nursery schools, while shop owners hastily pulled down their shutters, concealing their glass storefronts behind metal barriers. In the semidetached brick houses lining Overbury Street, where generations of families have lived side by side with newer arrivals, locals drew their curtains as twilight approached.

What instilled this sense of fear was the prospect of another night marred by anti-immigrant violence, following a week of turmoil triggered by a tragic stabbing incident in nearby Southport. The attack had been falsely attributed to a migrant, igniting tensions throughout the country.

However, instead of chaos, the night unfolded as a celebration of unity and resistance against the racism and anti-immigrant sentiments that had fueled the recent rioting across various cities and towns in Britain. In Liverpool, the community felt particularly shaken after an alarming online list circulated, reportedly detailing new far-right targets for protests, including a local charity dedicated to supporting asylum seekers.

In response, neighbors began to communicate through text messages, urging one another to gather in the streets to counter any potential racist rioters. Local unions and leaders from neighborhood mosques joined the call to action, as did a nationwide collective known as “Stand Up to Racism.”

As helicopters hovered overhead and police officers on horseback patrolled the area, the atmosphere transformed into one of solidarity. Young women distributed snacks and water bottles in front of the boarded-up windows of the targeted charity, while another group established a makeshift first aid station across the street, prepared for any emergencies that might arise from the violence of previous riots. A white-haired man with a long beard, using a metal walker, set down a megaphone next to a speaker and played peace songs, filling the air with messages of hope and resilience.