Mobs attack Germans in Manchester, Liverpool and London as feelings run high following the sinking of the Lusitania and the use of gas on Allied troops

Violent scenes in London

The storm-centre of the anti-German rioting shifted yesterday from Manchester and Liverpool to London. It was only late on Tuesday night that London showed any marked disposition to join in the attack on alien enemies, but though it was late in beginning its “crusade” it has managed to compress into the space of twenty-four hours so much destruction and violence as were spread over four or five days in Lancashire.

Indeed, as far as personal violence is concerned, yesterday’s outbreak in London was vastly more serious than anything that has occurred in the North. Some Germans were pursued into their homes by the mob and pitched through the windows into the street, others were ducked in troughs, and others had their clothing stripped off their backs.



The police, assisted by special constables, and in some cases by Territorials, did what they could to protect the fleeing aliens, but they were able to do very little owing to the size and ferocity of the crowds. A number of German butchers who ventured into Smithfield Market in spite of the warnings given on Tuesday met with particularly rough treatment. There was a bad riot at Southend last night, and the troops had to be called out to control the crowds.



One unfortunate feature of the rioting, common to Liverpool and London, was that some of the victims were Russians. The Liverpool Stipendiary Magistrate passed particularly heavy sentences yesterday on rioters who were proved to have attacked Russian and neutral subjects.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Daily Sketch front page reporting anti-German riots in London. Photograph: Alamy

The disturbances in London

Until the disturbances late last night and this morning there has been singularly little anti-German passion in London. The Lusitania has made all the difference. Hitherto the very large number of Germans not interned have been allowed to live their ordinary lives without interference. No exact figures are available, but the uninterned Germans are usually supposed to number about 20,000.



The attacks which broke out last night in many parts of East London seem to have been quite unorganised, usually beginning with a demonstration by the women and children in a street against a German neighbour. Crowds quickly collected, including angry men, and in some cases houses and shops were ransacked and the German occupants chased and maltreated.



The rioting was naturally worse near the docks, for in many of the little streets thereabouts every second butcher’s or baker’s shop is German. The ransacking of one shop which I happened to witness in a street near the Custom-house was typical. To begin with a crowd of boys invaded the shop – a baker’s and pastrycook’s – and simply fell upon all the eatables within reach. The German occupants at once ran away. A lot of women quickly appeared and carried out a systematic clearance of the place. There was no policeman to be seen at first, and when one arrived he was too late to protect the people or the property.



Scenes of the same kind are reported from Limehouse, Stepney, Bethnal Green and other districts. The damage was especially extensive in the area near the East India Dock, where over sixty German shops have been attacked. Terrified Germans who were found hiding under beds, were thrown out into the street, beds and all. A German piano was set up in the street and British patriotic songs were played upon it.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Furniture thrown from windows in Crisp Street, London during an anti-German riot. Photograph: Alamy

Round-up of Germans

The Chief Constable of Manchester issued orders yesterday for the arrest of all German shopkeepers in the city. About 100 of them were taken in charge during the day.

It went almost without saying that some drastic action would have to be taken in regard to German people in Manchester. The riotous conduct of crowds in different parts of the city on Monday night and Tuesday made it evident that in the interests of the Germans themselves something must promptly be done.



Attacks on property might easily pass by the natural transition of mob law, to attacks on the person. It was no matter for surprise therefore, when the Chief Constable (Mr. R. Peacock) issued yesterday morning an order for the arrest of all German shopkeepers in the city. The order, of course, applied only to those Germans who have not been naturalised; to deal with naturalised citizens special legislation would be necessary.



Naturalised Germans

The idea of holding a meeting so that naturalised British subjects of German or Austrian birth might express their loyalty to England and their detestation of German methods of warfare has been abandoned.

In its stead those subjects intend to issue a declaration placing on record their loyalty and devotion to the King, and their abhorrence of the methods of German warfare, beginning with the atrocities in Belgium and France and ending with the use of poisonous gases against the Allied troops and the sinking of the Lusitania.



This is an edited extract

