How Jubilation Turned to Tragedy on Liverpool’s Darkest Day Since Hillsborough
Multiple injuries have been reported after a car ploughed into a crowd of jubilant Liverpool fans during the club’s Premier League victory parade on Monday evening. In the Mail, Dominic King describes how Liverpool’s day of joy turned into its worst nightmare:
One moment there was a tickertape explosion, the sky thick with plumes of red smoke, the new smell of celebration.
Then, in the next step, came the piercing shrill of screams, flashing blue lights and the overwhelming sense of horror. They had descended in their hundreds of thousands in celebration. They left having witnessed a tragedy, knowing a city was in mourning.
We don’t know why a lone man ploughed into revellers in his car, but we do know the impact it has had, the lives that have been wrecked and the nightmare that has been inflicted.
How will anyone be able to think about Liverpool’s 20th league championship without making the association to 6pm on Monday, May 26th, when the worlds of innocent people caved in?
To walk along The Strand at 8.30pm, to see it empty except for a few policemen in their high visibility jackets, was surreal, like a scene from one of the apocalyptic Hollywood films.
On the floor were bottles, empty smoke canisters, the remnants of those tickertape cannons and even a discarded picnic chair, but there were no people. The reason for that became obvious as you looked up Water Street.
Nothing prepares you for seeing an inflatable blue and white crime scene tent in real life, surrounded by a flotilla of ambulances and police vans.
Water Street is associated with great journeys, it is where so many old shipping companies had their offices in days gone by and it is even mentioned in chapter six of Moby Dick.
But now it had become synonymous with darkness, fear, the kind of incident you have watched unfold in mainland Europe, but never think would happen on your doorstep.
As the Telegraph’s Tom Morgan observes, the incident conjures painful memories of Hillsborough on what should have been a night of unbridled celebration:
In Liverpool FC’s glory-laden history of triumph over adversity and 47 major trophies along the way, this was – until 6pm – the most euphoric party of them all.
Crowds swelled to an estimated 800,000 and they celebrated under skies thick with red flare smoke as the team’s open-top bus crawled through the city centre to a crescendo of sight and sound.
There had been no official party after the club’s last Premier League title during the pandemic, so this time they were celebrating for two. The Liverpool team first appeared just before 2.30pm and they were greeted by a cacophony of noise. …
But, four hours into the official celebration, as the players and spectators still danced to sets put on by the likes of superstar DJ Calvin Harris, the carnival mood descended into horrifying carnage. …
Out of nowhere at about 6pm, a black Ford Galaxy people carrier appeared on Water Street, heading southward towards The Strand, one of the main city centre stretches where fans were gathered.
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters when the car roared past him. “This people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
For the club, instead of a night to relive past glories, the screams of horror would reopen old wounds for a fanbase that has endured worse past traumas than any other in the English game.
Dr John Ashton, who became a key whistleblower after joining the 1989 Hillsborough rescue effort on the day of the disaster, was among those making frantic calls last night to once again check on loved ones nearby. …
“It’s devastating,” the Liverpool season-ticket holder told the Telegraph minutes after the crash. “We won during the pandemic and weren’t able to celebrate properly. It was always going to be a special occasion. I was at the game yesterday and the whole weekend was building up to this crescendo this afternoon.”
For Dr Ashton and thousands of others, the scenes of Liverpool fans injured will be haunting.
In the Telegraph, Will Bolton argues that Merseyside Police’s swift naming of the Liverpool crash suspect marks a calculated shift from last year’s disastrous Southport silence, where delayed disclosure fuelled riots and national unrest:
Fewer than two hours after a people carrier ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians, Merseyside Police issued a statement confirming the suspect was a 53 year-old white British man from Liverpool.
Last year, the city was rocked by the murders of three young girls in Southport, a town a few miles away.
The identity of the perpetrator in that case was published two days later. On this occasion, the police were desperate to get ahead of the curve.
In the wake of the Southport killings, there was a complete lack of information. That blank was filled with misinformation. …
The ethnicity and asylum status of the perpetrator were discussed and discussed and dissected on Right-wing social media channels. Ultimately, this silence helped to trigger riots across Britain.
Senior figures in Merseyside Police were well aware of their failings in the handling of the Southport case. …
With the motivations still unknown Merseyside Police have taken a bold, early step. It is a step, however, that seeks to calm public unease.
Hard to take that in isn’t it?
The apologists will soon be lining up to use this situation as a let off for anyone not white British who commit these atrocities, “you see, anybody can do this, its not just them”
Rubbish of course, the motives are world’s apart
They didn’t name him, though. But I hope we get a name and a mugshot today. We’ll all be waiting on more details surrounding this attack ( it was definitely not an RTC, as originally reported. The driver was in full control and must take responsibility ) including the motivation.
What’s at least encouraging is that nobody’s yet been reported dead, so he won’t get done for manslaughter. He will surely ( hopefully ) get sent down for a long time, though.
Last I saw, he’s from Derby and he’s arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs. So I’m not sure if he did come out of a bar drunk or not. He knocked over more than 50 and 11 people still in hospital.
He also drove behind an ambulance that was responding to an emergency, so that’s how he managed to get in the street.
They clearly don’t get that this has always been the case and NO ONE is surprised, we’re yet to see the same enthusiasm when the perpetrator is not white and British.
Witness reports now saying he was seen coming out of a nearby pub and was drunk. Nobody in their right mind would consider driving among crowds like that, as people are reporting his car was already parked on the street.
And did he teleport from car to police van? Amongst all that footage and not a single decent image of the perp.
At first I wondered if it was a moment of panic, since he was going slow and beeping at the crowd. Sort of like how drivers reacted after being surrounded in riots. But being drunk sounds more plausible…
It is curious that despite a large crowd of eye-witnesses surrounding the vehicle, there are no descriptions independent of what the police have said – a 53 year old white man. Odd how they managed to confirm his age within minutes.
And despite lots of video clips of the car ploughing through the crowd, and the vehicle surrounded by angry people and police, there is not a single video of the driver being removed from the vehicle.
There is a video which apparently of two police marksmen… with rifle… on a nearby rooftop.
And… as far as can be seen from the videos, the vehicle in question was the only civilian vehicle in the street. Why was it allowed into a crowded street, and why no other cars?
If the car shown in the attached image is the one involved, it does not look like an old banger. Many modern cars (such as the one I have) are fitted with semi-automatic pre-collision systems, however, although they can do a good job at preventing an accidental one, they can be overridden by a careless or aggressive driver. No doubt dangerous driving and grievous bodily harm are on the list to start with.
On the propaganda channel in the small hours they made the point that Merseyside Police might have learnt something from last Summer and did a fairly quick job at making a statement about what it wasn’t, in an attempt to discourage certain types of communication.
DiscoveredJoys
10 months ago
*If* it turns out that the driver was drunk (i.e. already breaking the existing law) look out for heartfelt pleas to ban any drinking at all before driving, especially by activists with a particular animus towards alcohol.
In the video clips I saw, the driver looked to be late 20s/early30s, yet it is stated a man aged 53 was arrested, but it is not stated he was the driver.
Grounds for suspicion? Once over we could take the police report at face value, these days….
I was puzzled by what I saw, there is video of a car with a pedestrian pulling the door open and the driver then pulling it shut and driving away. The driver has a black beard and moustache and a skin tone other than white. He did not look like a 53 yo to me.
Is that the person who was bundled into the police van? I can’t tell. There is other film of an older white man on the ground with at least one police officer holding him down. He could be a 53 yo from what I saw.
I quite understand that it’s a confusing situation and the clips are not particularly easy to view in detail.
I do not take ANY official reports at face value these days and certainly not this one. I suspect there is something we are not being told.
Heretic
10 months ago
In one news video, a distraught witness blamed the council for closing all the streets for the parade except that one, which should also have been closed to traffic. Many people reportedly attacked the driver’s car which was stationary at first, and when the crowd tried to smash his window and tore off his windscreen wipers, he reversed to escape from them, accidentally ran over one of them behind his car, and then sped forward in a blind panic, injuring so many others before coming to a stop and staying at the scene without running away.
I wonder if he was just trying to drive home along that street after getting drunk in the pub, because the parade had finished and the crowds were drifting homeward. Did the crowd who attacked his car think he was a jihadist maybe, trying to approach the parade? Or did he have the wrong colour scarf in his car?
Thanks for that important info. I read that the crowd had ripped off his back windscreen wipers, but now there is news that he gained access to the road by following an ambulance, so it’s all still very confusing.
Jon Mors
10 months ago
If he is white then by far the most likely explanation is that he’s a convert to Islam.
Also, not all muslims are non-white. And ‘British’ doesn’t necessarily mean ethnically British.
Good points. People can also declare their own ethnicity on UK census forms as whatever they choose, which reminds me of the report about the new Pope Leo XIV. Researchers into his family background discovered that he is considered to be “The First Black Pope”, because his ancestors were Creole Mulattos from Louisiana, listed as “black” on the Louisiana census, who falsely declared themselves on the US Census to be “white” after they moved to Chicago, and declared his mother born there as “white”.
In the article, they lighten the photos to make his relatives look more white. That’s why he’s as keen on encouraging the West to accept Mass Third World Invasion as the last pope was, though none of these popes ever offer to house the Fake Refugees in the fabulously wealthy Vatican itself.
richard leppington
10 months ago
Please look into this. The car driver was a young bloke . The 53 year old white man was trying to punch him when he got wrestled to the floor by the police. He was not the driver. We are being gaslit by the police and the government aided by the main stream media
robnicholson
10 months ago
This story is for me a perfect example of where Social Media isn’t a force for good overall. The police pleaded with people not to speculate but the genie is well and truly out of the lamp now. Personally I would never have posted a video publicly & globally of people getting hurt but maybe that’s just me.
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“The identity of the perpetrator in that case was published two days later. On this occasion, the police were desperate to get ahead of the curve.”
(deepest sympathies to all the people and families involved in this atrocity 🙏)
I wonder if the curve would have been so rapidly got ahead of if the perpetrator had been a black illegal immigrant or asylum seeker?
I wonder if he’s got a family, driving a car like that. Imagine that’s your partner or dad who did that? Horrendous. 😣
Hard to take that in isn’t it?
The apologists will soon be lining up to use this situation as a let off for anyone not white British who commit these atrocities, “you see, anybody can do this, its not just them”
Rubbish of course, the motives are world’s apart
On a more positive note, Tommy is out. He looks like he’s been castaway on a desert island, bless him. 🥳
https://x.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1927269893356867638
Full vid here;
https://x.com/BritFirst/status/1927266254349381805
There was a child seat in the back of the car.
Yes it’s the kind of car you’d drive if you’ve got kids. I’ve no idea what was going on in his head. Hopefully more details will be revealed soon.
Absolutely, they only named him so quickly because he was white and British.
I absolutely agree. Sad that’s the case, but here we are.
I can imagine the incredible relief when TPTB found it was not a “doctor or engineer” in this case.
They didn’t name him, though. But I hope we get a name and a mugshot today. We’ll all be waiting on more details surrounding this attack ( it was definitely not an RTC, as originally reported. The driver was in full control and must take responsibility ) including the motivation.
What’s at least encouraging is that nobody’s yet been reported dead, so he won’t get done for manslaughter. He will surely ( hopefully ) get sent down for a long time, though.
Mental elf Mogs.
Last I saw, he’s from Derby and he’s arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs. So I’m not sure if he did come out of a bar drunk or not. He knocked over more than 50 and 11 people still in hospital.
He also drove behind an ambulance that was responding to an emergency, so that’s how he managed to get in the street.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgv4ddpyddo
They clearly don’t get that this has always been the case and NO ONE is surprised, we’re yet to see the same enthusiasm when the perpetrator is not white and British.
Witness reports now saying he was seen coming out of a nearby pub and was drunk. Nobody in their right mind would consider driving among crowds like that, as people are reporting his car was already parked on the street.
And did he teleport from car to police van? Amongst all that footage and not a single decent image of the perp.
https://x.com/DaveAtherton20/status/1927245426903720094
At first I wondered if it was a moment of panic, since he was going slow and beeping at the crowd. Sort of like how drivers reacted after being surrounded in riots. But being drunk sounds more plausible…
I think you may well be right, that he was both drunk and then panicked after his car was attacked by a gang.
There’s more to this than meets the eye I reckon.
It is curious that despite a large crowd of eye-witnesses surrounding the vehicle, there are no descriptions independent of what the police have said – a 53 year old white man. Odd how they managed to confirm his age within minutes.
And despite lots of video clips of the car ploughing through the crowd, and the vehicle surrounded by angry people and police, there is not a single video of the driver being removed from the vehicle.
There is a video which apparently of two police marksmen… with rifle… on a nearby rooftop.
And… as far as can be seen from the videos, the vehicle in question was the only civilian vehicle in the street. Why was it allowed into a crowded street, and why no other cars?
Very curious indeed.
Apparently the car tailgated an ambulance on the way to a heart attack.
My thoughts exactly.
If the car shown in the attached image is the one involved, it does not look like an old banger. Many modern cars (such as the one I have) are fitted with semi-automatic pre-collision systems, however, although they can do a good job at preventing an accidental one, they can be overridden by a careless or aggressive driver. No doubt dangerous driving and grievous bodily harm are on the list to start with.
On the propaganda channel in the small hours they made the point that Merseyside Police might have learnt something from last Summer and did a fairly quick job at making a statement about what it wasn’t, in an attempt to discourage certain types of communication.
*If* it turns out that the driver was drunk (i.e. already breaking the existing law) look out for heartfelt pleas to ban any drinking at all before driving, especially by activists with a particular animus towards alcohol.
In the video clips I saw, the driver looked to be late 20s/early30s, yet it is stated a man aged 53 was arrested, but it is not stated he was the driver.
Grounds for suspicion? Once over we could take the police report at face value, these days….
I was puzzled by what I saw, there is video of a car with a pedestrian pulling the door open and the driver then pulling it shut and driving away. The driver has a black beard and moustache and a skin tone other than white. He did not look like a 53 yo to me.
Is that the person who was bundled into the police van? I can’t tell. There is other film of an older white man on the ground with at least one police officer holding him down. He could be a 53 yo from what I saw.
I quite understand that it’s a confusing situation and the clips are not particularly easy to view in detail.
I do not take ANY official reports at face value these days and certainly not this one. I suspect there is something we are not being told.
In one news video, a distraught witness blamed the council for closing all the streets for the parade except that one, which should also have been closed to traffic. Many people reportedly attacked the driver’s car which was stationary at first, and when the crowd tried to smash his window and tore off his windscreen wipers, he reversed to escape from them, accidentally ran over one of them behind his car, and then sped forward in a blind panic, injuring so many others before coming to a stop and staying at the scene without running away.
I wonder if he was just trying to drive home along that street after getting drunk in the pub, because the parade had finished and the crowds were drifting homeward. Did the crowd who attacked his car think he was a jihadist maybe, trying to approach the parade? Or did he have the wrong colour scarf in his car?
In video clips I saw he was driving forward with windscreen wipers moving.
Thanks for that important info. I read that the crowd had ripped off his back windscreen wipers, but now there is news that he gained access to the road by following an ambulance, so it’s all still very confusing.
If he is white then by far the most likely explanation is that he’s a convert to Islam.
Also, not all muslims are non-white. And ‘British’ doesn’t necessarily mean ethnically British.
We’ll see.
Good points. People can also declare their own ethnicity on UK census forms as whatever they choose, which reminds me of the report about the new Pope Leo XIV. Researchers into his family background discovered that he is considered to be “The First Black Pope”, because his ancestors were Creole Mulattos from Louisiana, listed as “black” on the Louisiana census, who falsely declared themselves on the US Census to be “white” after they moved to Chicago, and declared his mother born there as “white”.
Pope Leo XIV’s family tree shows Black roots in New Orleans – ABC News
In the article, they lighten the photos to make his relatives look more white. That’s why he’s as keen on encouraging the West to accept Mass Third World Invasion as the last pope was, though none of these popes ever offer to house the Fake Refugees in the fabulously wealthy Vatican itself.
Please look into this. The car driver was a young bloke . The 53 year old white man was trying to punch him when he got wrestled to the floor by the police. He was not the driver. We are being gaslit by the police and the government aided by the main stream media
This story is for me a perfect example of where Social Media isn’t a force for good overall. The police pleaded with people not to speculate but the genie is well and truly out of the lamp now. Personally I would never have posted a video publicly & globally of people getting hurt but maybe that’s just me.