Escalating Tensions in Rotherham: A First-Hand Account
The atmosphere was charged with hostility as a mob gathered around a hotel in the northern English town of Rotherham, where asylum seekers found temporary refuge. Among them was Abdulmoiz, a young man in his 20s from Sudan, who described the harrowing scene he witnessed from an upstairs window, alongside other men trapped inside the building. As chaos unfolded outside, all they could do was pray and wait, filled with dread as the mob began its assault, hurling objects, shattering windows, and chanting, “Get them out.”
Some of the more aggressive individuals attempted to set fire to the building, intensifying the fear that gripped the residents inside. “People were in a panic,” Abdulmoiz recounted, requesting that he be identified only by his first name to protect his asylum claim. He spoke just days after the attack through an interpreter, revealing the depth of his fear: “If the people outside didn’t kill us,” he feared, “the smoke would.”
This violent incident occurred two weekends ago, amidst one of the final waves of riots instigated by far-right groups and fueled by a pervasive online disinformation campaign. This turmoil followed a tragic knife attack during a children’s dance class in northwestern England, which had mistakenly linked the assailant — a teenager born in Britain — to the asylum-seeking community. Misinformation spread wildly, suggesting that the suspect was an asylum seeker or had entered the country illegally.
A memorial has since been erected for the victims of the knife attack in Southport, England, highlighting the tragic consequences of the incident and the ensuing chaos that followed. Andrew Testa for The New York Times reported on the situation, noting that the police eventually succeeded in dispersing the rioters in Rotherham. However, the sense of fear and insecurity lingered for those inside the hotel, including Abdulmoiz.
After the incident, he was relocated to another hotel in Birmingham, but the shadow of fear remains, weighing heavily on his mind. The events that transpired have left a lasting impact, illustrating the tension and danger faced by asylum seekers in an increasingly hostile environment.
