“Our message is clear: there is no place for hate in Greater Manchester”

Greater Manchester has faced a challenging few weeks, marked by significant unrest and tensions.

Far-right protests and counter-demonstrations have erupted across towns and cities in the region, following the tragic knife attack in Southport last month that claimed the lives of three young girls and left several others injured.

GMP respond to unrest

The fallout from this horrific event has led to widespread disturbances, with hundreds arrested nationwide, including 47 individuals in Greater Manchester alone.

One of the first people to be sent to jail was from Bolton and was just 18 years old.

In response to these incidents, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has been working tirelessly to manage the situation, ensuring public safety while addressing the concerns of the community.

Amidst this backdrop of unease, GMP has issued the following statement to reassure and thank the public for their support during these difficult times:

Greater Manchester Police statement

While the violent unrest of the weekend appears to have subsided for the time being, we are aware that some residents of Greater Manchester may still be feeling vulnerable, unsafe or worried about further disorder. 

This has been made worse by the widespread sharing of misinformation online, which creates increased fear in communities and incites intolerable hate.

We want to reassure you that Greater Manchester Police remains dedicated to ensuring that our local communities are safe and protected from further disruption.

We have a great many resources at our disposal, and we are proactively deploying those resources to prevent violence, identify offenders, and take swift, appropriate action against anyone found to be breaking the law. We will continue to do this fairly and equitably.

We are heavily resourced and many of our dedicated officers, staff and emergency service colleagues have been deployed across the region, day and night, to keep our communities safe and ensure that people feel safe making their voices heard. We will continue to engage with people across Greater Manchester in the coming days and weeks; if you have any concerns, please do get in touch with us.

Our advice to communities is to remain calm and try and go about your every-day life.  If we believe there needs to be specific information about anything emerging, we will tell people and offer advice.

Our message is clear: there is no place for hate in Greater Manchester.  If you come here to willingly participate in disorder and crime, we will be at your door, ensuring you answer for your crimes.

The vast majority of Greater Manchester residents, businesses and visitors have supported us in keeping the peace and upholding the law, and we are truly grateful to them. We are proud to uphold the democratic right of peaceful protest, and to amplify the voices of our communities.

If you have been the victim of a crime, you can contact Greater Manchester Victims’ Services at [email protected] – you do not need to have reported a crime to the police to take advantage of this service.

You can contact us on 101, via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via live chat at www.gmp.police.uk.

Love is always the answer!