Hartlepool Community Responds To Shocking Riot

MP Jonathan Brash condemns those responsible while a community centre targeted leads the clean up

Transcript

00:00Okay morning Jonathan, so we're here the morning after the night before, what's your thoughts

00:04today on what's happened?

00:05Well I'm disgusted at what happened last night and the behaviour of a very small minority

00:10of people.

00:11We do not represent the values of Hartlepool people, they don't represent what we stand

00:15for.

00:16Over my shoulder is what Hartlepool stands for.

00:18This morning I've been here at the Salam Centre, I've seen volunteers going in, offering

00:22to clean the streets, making donations, that's Hartlepool people, not the lawless minority

00:27we saw last night.

00:28I'm talking to the police today, I'm going to talk about the next few days and making

00:32sure that we don't get a further repeat of this, but I would just say to everyone in

00:36Hartlepool, this isn't us, these aren't our values, stay calm, come together and stand

00:42up to these people.

00:44You say this isn't Hartlepool, do you believe the people were from out of town?

00:48I think it's almost certain that some of them were from out of town, it's clear that there's

00:51some coordination going on here in terms of these protests, but what I would also say

00:55is that the vast, vast, vast, vast majority of Hartlepool people are appalled just like

01:00I am this morning at seeing this on the streets of our town, it doesn't represent what we

01:03stand for, it doesn't represent our values.

01:06We've got so many different services from across the town calling in saying how can

01:11we help, is there any information we can give, if we can just all come together as a community,

01:16talk to each other and help each other in the aftermath of this horrible, horrible incident

01:22that doesn't seem to have a real reason for why it happened, but it has happened.

01:28And on a personal note, when I stood there last night, it was one of the most horrible

01:33and terrifying things that I have ever seen in this town, and I am from Hartlepool, I've

01:38lived here all my life, and I didn't think I would ever see something like that happen.

01:43All I can do is just ask people of Hartlepool to just keep trying to support each other,

01:48to help each other, and not to get involved in incidents like this, and if anyone does

01:53have any information about what has happened, if people were inciting it, if they know that

01:59people were involved in the crime, please go forward to pleading with police for that

02:03information and passing on the information, because this should never happen.

02:06And as MP, what action are you going to take?

02:09I'm liaising with the police today, as I said, to ask them to take further action to

02:14make sure our streets stay safe, I've been in touch with the policing minister this morning,

02:18I've spoken to her on the phone, I know she's raising it with the Home Secretary this afternoon,

02:23they've been very clear that if there's further help required, that will be delivered,

02:27and I'll keep working with the police to make sure that it is.