BBC
Of all the violent scenes in UK towns and cities at the weekend, one of the most shocking happened in Hull – when an angry crowd of white men surrounded and attacked a car with men of Asian heritage inside.
Videos of the incident shared on social media show the crowd charging towards a silver BMW and forcing open its doors, and attacking those inside.
People can be heard on the videos shouting racist slurs and saying “get them”.
BBC Verify has analysed social media footage of the incident – and what happened in Hull in the run up.
Swarm of angry men
The attack on the BMW happened to the north-west of Hull city centre on Saturday afternoon.
Analysis of social media videos by BBC Verify suggests the vehicle and its occupants were set upon at about 16:45.
In one video, large black plumes of smoke can be seen rising into the sky. The person filming moves down Hall Street and towards a car park – where a car is ablaze and a car horn is ringing out.
Then the BMW swings backwards around the corner from Milky Street, as it tries to escape a large mob.
The car is trapped on the curb and is quickly swarmed by angry men, several of whom are masked and using what look like screwdrivers to smash the car’s tail lights and to try to prise open the car doors and grab the people inside.
Men can be seen throwing bricks and a shopping trolley at the car. Another man can be seen performing the Nazi salute.
In the background of one of the videos, you can hear someone shout, “get them lads, get the [expletive], smash that shit up”.
A man in a St George’s flag T-shirt can be seen trying to smash the BMW’s windows. Using facial recognition software and social media profiles, we have identified him as John Honey.
He appears in other videos showing looting later in the day in the city centre. for kidnap, arson and robbery.
He told the BBC he had been present at the protest in Victoria Square earlier, and said he was only at the car attack incident to stop others from attacking the car.
‘Try and be as sober as you can be’
Several hours earlier, crowds had gathered in Hull city centre.
Online posters with the words “enough is enough” had been shared calling for people to meet in Victoria Square at midday.
that the hotel housed “unvetted migrant men at the taxpayers expense”.
In the hours after the BMW was surrounded and attacked, crowds would once again form in the centre of the city – and looting would start.
People gathered on Jameson Street. The earliest looting videos on social media we have identified are from 18:38 and show the O2 phone shop being ransacked.
We have also seen footage of looting in Shoezone, where a large pile of shoes was brought out and set on fire, Greggs the bakers and cosmetics retailer Lush.
Additional reporting by Richard Irvine-Brown and Paul Brown