By Petra Wischgoll
LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) – Backed by an outpouring of community spirit, a library in Liverpool is rebuilding after vandals torched it during a spate of racist riots in England over the last week.
The Spellow Library in the Walton area of the city reopened last year following a major refurbishment, but was set ablaze and burgled by a mob last Saturday.
Now, much of the library – which also functioned as a community centre – stands blackened, with burnt wiring and light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
“I was absolutely sick to my stomach,” library manager Debbie Moore said of her initial reaction to the fire.
Her anger turned swiftly into a resolve to repair the library as quickly as possible.
“We’re going to fight back now. We’re going to bring our services back and make sure that the community doesn’t suffer for this impact,” Moore said.
Riots in the Liverpool region followed the killing of three girls on July 29 during an attack at a dance class for children in Southport, 15 miles (25 km) north of the city.
False information circulated on social media that the suspect was an Islamist migrant, which led to violent protests in Southport and then across England over following days targeting Muslims and ethnic minorities more broadly.
But thousands of Liverpudlians have marched in recent days to protest against the violence in a show of solidarity from a city famed for its close-knit community.
In that spirit, Liverpool resident Alex McCormick, 27, started a GoFundMe online fundraiser, hoping to raise 500 pounds ($640) so the library could buy more books.
As of Friday, donations totalled 296,000 pounds ($378,000).
“Seeing a library be damaged in the riots was just so heartbreaking,” McCormick said.
“Never did I imagine that (the fundraiser) would go as far as it has. I think it’ll be lovely to see when it’s restored back to its former glory.”
Library manager Moore said she hopes the people who torched the building will see it flourish again.
“We will rise and we will move above this, and we will come back stronger and better than we ever were before,” she said.
(Writing by Andy Bruce; editing by Giles Elgood)
