Hundreds of volunteers made up of residents, councillors, and ordinary people arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers yesterday morning (August 5) to clean up the damage left by the weekend’s violent far-right demonstrations.
At least six arrests have been made so far after an anti-immigration on Sunday escalated into a riot where fires were set in the entrances of the hotel where asylum seekers are housed.
Thousands of pounds of damage were done as protestors smashed windows while hurling furniture, bricks and bottles.
Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield called the riot “a disgusting display of thuggery” and said in a statement: “Please be assured, if you were there, we will find you, and you will be held accountable for your part in yesterday’s violence.”
But while attendees wait at home to see if the police will come knocking, hundreds of volunteers took to the streets outside the hotel on Monday to clean up broken glass and litter.
One volunteer, Jasmine Richards, from Rotherham, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the protests were “not representative of Rotherham”.
“The people you see here, that is Rotherham,” added Jasmine. “[The protests] – That’s not representative of our community.
“Rotherham is a community full of diversity. [The protest] was disgusting, riddled with ignorance and bigotry.”
Here are 10 pictures from the clean up operation by Rotherham’s true community.
1. Clean up at the the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham
Volunteers from Manvers' community were out on Monday (August 5) to set their community right following an ant-immigration riot outside the Holiday Inn Express on Sunday. | SWNS
2. The true Manvers' community
On Monday, staff were seen boarding up the broken windows with wood, while locals swept up glass and debris in the streets close to the guesthouse. | SWNS
3. "Deplorable"
Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield, of South Yorkshire Police, has called the attack on the hotel “nothing short of disgusting”. | SWNS
4. Boarding up
Work crews were seen boarding up windows at the hotel in the wake of rioters. | SWNS