Mr Sutton described the dreadful scene: “A 70-year-old man, one of our town centre vicars, felt like he needed to go to the other side of the road from the protest and pray over it. He was slammed against a wall. I spoke with him this morning, and he was quite shaken up by the whole experience. It was horrible. I saw videos of protestors setting up a roadblock, and checking cars to see if the people in them were white before letting them through. This doesn’t represent the vast majority of our community. We are praying for peace, and for unity, and for healing – and for those who will be scared. There are a lot of people in the town centre who will have been very scared last night.”

Rioters were shouting at Canon Holland, saying that he “should be ashamed because he doesn’t want British people to have a homeland.” Vicar Holland said he felt like the Cenotaph – a Remembrance Day memorial, and all it stood for was “violated” during the incident. He thanked Chief Constable Mark Webster personally for the help of police at the scene. He also reaffirmed his faith in local residents. He said people who took part would “not have the last word” – because the community “is going to re-emerge stronger. I’ve stood in front of this cenotaph 20 times to lead the Remembrance Day service for the town. Yesterday standing on the opposite side of the road I just felt that this space was being violated and all that it stood for they were attempting to destroy, and I felt really emotional about that. For the first time in 28 years, I was physically threatened and abused and that really shook me. Just look at this Remembrance Day memorial here, they gave their lives during the war for this carnage here. Is that honouring their memory? Where were the true British values yesterday.”

Over 60 people – the youngest being 14 years-old – have been detained in relation to the riots in Middlesborough. Several houses were smashed, cars set on fire and police officers hit with bricks and stones. Locals were left “frightened” over the incident, some parents were forced to “lock their children in bathrooms” when violent rioters entered their homes.