Two people injured in a machete fight on the beach were among those arrested following Tuesday night’s unrest in a British seaside town.
A “beach rave” turned into a street brawl in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, on Tuesday night, after groups fought along the seafront with long bladed weapons described as machetes. Police said they set up dispersal zones along the promenade, made eight arrests and seized seven weapons. The order gives officers powers to stop and search any person or vehicle in the zone without evidence of suspicion, search for weapons and order arrests if they do not disperse.
Several people were “seriously injured” and two were hospitalized, among the eight arrested.
This is not the first time such violence has occurred in the popular Essex resort of Southend, and local residents have questioned why police were caught off guard by what was a foreseeable incident, despite local leaders claiming they had responded “swiftly and strongly”. He told the BBC Locals knew trouble was coming as it had been widely discussed on social media beforehand, but the police somehow seemed unprepared.
Local lawmaker Bayo Alaba did not criticize police but appeared to give a tacit nod, telling the station: “We need to find out what happened, who knew what and when, and then what can be done about it. Once the police found out, they responded well.”
He added: “Something similar happened around this time last year and this has now become a pattern. And because it is a pattern, we have to look at this in a different light and see what we can do to mitigate this.”
Footage of the incident, widely shared on social media, showed security guards keeping their distance as knife-wielding men attacked one another, and crowds of pedestrians fleeing the violence.
Acting Inspector Stephen Wells said: “People have a right to use this public space without fear of harassment or distress.” In an update on the incident on Wednesday afternoon, police said: “Last night a group of people entered the city from the outskirts of Southend intending to cause crime and disorder. Officers responded swiftly and forcefully, making eight arrests and seizing a number of weapons.”
The unrest in Southend is different to that in the nearly homonymous town of Southport on the other side of England, which also saw major unrest on Tuesday night over a knife-wielding man who killed several young girls.
