Residents asked to call-out social media troublemakers to avoid a repeat of Manvers disorder

Carnage: Disorder at Manvers was sparked by falsehoods

DEARNE area residents have been asked to help prevent any repeat of the Manvers disorder - which has seen many defendants from the area either jailed or awaiting justice - by reporting those who stir-up hate online as quickly as possible.

Courts are still processing dozens of people for their parts in the disturbance around the Holiday Inn hotel, where fire was started outside and offenders broke into the building by smashing windows while staff and asylum-seekers feared for their safety inside.

Now a call has gone out for those who see those trying to create trouble for others on social media to report them to the authorities, so they can be made to answer for their actions.

Cllr Mick Stowe was speaking at a Police and Communities Together meeting, where he appealed for law-abiding residents to help.

Dangerous: The melted remains of a bin which burned outside Manvers Holiday Inn

He told the meeting: “Quite a few people from our patch were arrested. Let’s remember how it started; it was falsehoods on social media about the deaths of three young children.

“It is sad when we see rioters burning books, smashing up libraries and smashing up the infrastructure.

“We have had quite a few people charged and imprisoned and it was incited buy someone on social media, who doesn’t care about the consequences,” he said.

Cllr Stowe, who represent the Hoyland area in Barnsley, said there had been a “massive cost” from the damage done at Manvers and added: “We need to be learning some lessons from this and if we get to know of anyone who is creating havoc on social media, or on the streets, then we need to report it in.

“We all have an agenda to make sure people are safe. My call would be to ask people to raise awareness immediately, if someone has started fuelling hatred,” he said.

Residents attending the meeting, an interface between local police and the community, if they had noticed any rise in tensions locally since the Manvers incident, and their response was negative.

Police were asked if there had been a rise in crime outside Manvers while officers were busy on the day and with following investigations.

They were told that was not the case, and with police leave cancelled and officers on 12 hour shifts, it was likely there had been an increased presence.