In the turbulent summer of 2024, a historic Liverpool church became an unlikely target for violent extremists. St Anne's Church in Toxteth, a 180-year-old Grade II-listed building, found itself on a sinister far-right 'hitlist' circulated online during nationwide anti-immigration riots.
A Target for Hate, A Beacon for Hope
The church itself was not the primary focus of the agitators' rage. The intended target was Asylum Link Merseyside (ALM), a charity that has operated from the church for 25 years, offering vital support to refugees and people fleeing persecution. Menacing online posts depicted the church's iconic redbrick tower engulfed in digital flames, accompanied by threatening emojis.
Ewan Roberts, who was the centre manager for ALM at the time, described a palpable sense of fear. "People had been scoping us out, driving past filming, kids on bikes filming," he recalled. "You think: 'Oh God, is this how it happens?'"
The threat extended barely a mile away to the al-Rahma mosque. Dr Badr Abdullah, chair of the Liverpool Muslim Society, reported similar surveillance and intimidation, including an individual armed with a machete outside the mosque. "It did feel like civil war," Abdullah said. "The feeling in the community was: someone is going to be killed, the mosque is going to be burned down."
The Night the Tide Turned
The unrest erupted across England and in Belfast following the tragic murder of three girls at a holiday club in Southport on 29 July 2024. Far-right groups falsely claimed the killer was an Islamist terrorist who had arrived by small boat, directing fury at immigrant and Muslim communities.
In Merseyside, tensions were dangerously high. A major flare-up was planned for 7 August 2024, prompting the largest mobilisation of riot police in England in over a decade. In Toxteth, an "army of carpenters" arrived to barricade St Anne's windows, while hundreds more volunteered to protect the historic church that had survived World War II bombing.
Father Peter Morgan, the 87-year-old parish priest, advised the community to stay away on police advice, though he remained defiantly outside. What happened next was extraordinary. Instead of a violent mob, a crowd of roughly 2,000 people gathered to defend the church. Armed with steel drums, homemade placards declaring "Nans against Nazis," and a spirit of determined solidarity, they faced down the threat of petrol bombs and bricks.
"That night was a turning point," said Dr Badr Abdullah. "There was a sense of relief, solidarity, hope. We had seen a big rise of hate, but [then] we saw a big rise of love." Ewan Roberts, now ALM's fundraising manager, agreed: "If it had gone the other way, you might have seen even more of an escalation. It took the whole sting out of it."
Forging Lasting Links Against Division
In the aftermath, the bonds formed in defence have strengthened into lasting partnerships. St Anne's Church, al-Rahma mosque, and Asylum Link Merseyside are all members of the Liverpool chapter of Citizens UK, a charity supported by The Guardian's 2025 appeal which backs organisations combating division.
Father Morgan reflected that the solidarity shown was unique. "It was a gathering that couldn't have come about through any other means." The church has since revived and deepened its links with the mosque, fostering interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
Catherine McCarron, a community organiser for Citizens UK in Liverpool, said the experience made her organisation more determined to fight division, especially when political leadership was perceived to be lacking.
While the immediate threat of violence has subsided, community leaders remain vigilant. They note that anti-immigration rhetoric has become mainstream, and a form of Christian nationalism, championed by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (Tommy Robinson), is on the rise. Father Morgan expressed bemusement at this weaponisation of his faith: "It's absolute and utter nonsense – and utter hypocrisy. They're using Christian symbols, not really Christianism."
Dr Abdullah draws parallels with the hijacking of Islam by extremists and worries about the momentum behind anti-immigrant sentiment. Community leaders across England fear it is a matter of when – not if – disorder breaks out again.
However, if that day comes, the response in Liverpool will be different. The far right will face a more unified, prepared, and determined coalition. As Father Morgan powerfully concludes: "It's in all our self-interest to work together. We are community. We're not separate strands – we belong... We're tremendously enriched by what we share together."
