This week marks a decade since hundreds were arrested in Greater Manchester after "unprecedented levels of violence and criminality" swept the region in summer 2011.
On the morning of 10 August 2011 – when the sirens had switched off, the flames had fizzled out, and the roars had been silenced – hundreds of Mancunians quietly got to work on repairing their shattered city.
Families, students and businesspeople arrived en masse to strap on gloves, grasp brooms and pick up paintbrushes, working together to shovel broken glass out of streets and reattach the frames to shop doorways.
The day before, Manchester and Salford had been swept up in the violence consuming England following the death of Mark Duggan – a 29-year-old who had been shot dead by police earlier in the summer of 2011.
A protest in Tottenham Hale had led to clashes with law enforcement, and the next few days saw trouble spread from the capital into other cities across the country.
The first pockets of local violence erupted in Salford Shopping Centre on the afternoon of August 9. Supermarket Lidl was the first target, before looters proceeded to break into a Bargain Booze and The Money Shop.
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Police were pelted with missiles and journalists covering the story were even caught up in the melee; a BBC radio car battered with bricks before being set alight.
Within hours, Manchester city centre’s shops were also under attack – with officers overwhelmed by “unprecedented levels of violence and criminality”.
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Mobs broke into Manchester’s Arndale Centre and groups stormed shops like Footasylum, Bang & Olufsen and Swarovski in St Ann’s Square.
Miss Selfridge on Market Street was also engulfed in flames as the outnumbered police desperately battled the masked-up mobs rampaging through the city streets.
The Guardian said it turned into “a tale of two riots” – with Greater Manchester Police’s then-chief constable Peter Fahy suggesting the respective culprits in Salford and Manchester had responded in different ways.
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“Certainly most of [the rioting] in Manchester was about getting goods, breaking into places and stealing things,” Fahy told The Guardian.
“Salford I think was slightly different. It was more about attacking us and the fire services.”
The trouble in Greater Manchester dissipated the next day – but the region remained severely shaken.
More than 370 people were arrested, 60 officers were injured, and the total police cost was reportedly more than £3 million.
After the rioting ended elsewhere in England on August 11, it was revealed that more than 200 people had been injured and over 3,000 arrested nationwide. Five people were also killed during the six days of violence.
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But according to local Councillor Pat Karney, Greater Manchester’s role in the riots was not reflective of what the region was about. He says it was those next few days – where adults and children were seen flocking to fix the damage – that showed the real GM.
“The true Mancunian spirit has been shown in Manchester today,” the councillor stated, as locals swept away debris and stuffed rubbish into sacks.
“The community has come out to say enough is enough, and that they will not stand by and let thugs try to destroy our city.
“This was pure criminal behaviour from a minority of people who were intent on looting and rioting and these criminals are not fit to be called Mancunians.”
Inside Popeyes as fried chicken restaurant opens its first Manchester drive-thru
Daisy Jackson
Popeyes is ready to open its first-ever Greater Manchester drive-thru restaurant, where you can pick up its legendary Louisiana-style fried chicken and shakes.
To celebrate its launch, Popeyes will be giving away free chicken sandwiches for a year to the first people in the queue – and when it launched at Piccadilly Gardens, someone waited outside for 16 hours.
People really love this chicken…
In the blink of an eye, the colourful orange and blue building has taken shape on Bury New Road, where hungry diners can pick up meals in the drive-thru or order ahead for curbside collection.
Customers dining in can order through a QR code or touch-screens, before sitting down at one of the many orange booths to tuck into trays piled high with sandwiches, tenders, mac and cheese, and more.
There are 72 indoors plus an outside dining area, dual-ordering lanes, and designated bays for pre-orders.
Popeyes is famed for its viral ‘shatter crunch’-coated fried chicken, its Southern US biscuits and gravy, and its brekkie menu where British classics are given a New Orleans twist.
The doors and lanes to the new chicken shop will officially open on Friday 26 April at 11am.
The first three people queueing both on foot and in cars will win free chicken sandwiches for a year, and the first 25 in both queues will get a free chicken sandwich and exclusive merch.
This new Popeyes marks the brand’s 11th opening in 2024, and 47th since launching in the UK in 2021.
You’ll find it at 288-292 unit Bury New Rd, M7 2YJ, right next to the McDonald’s and Tim Horton’s on the border of Prestwich.
Popeyes is giving away FREE chicken sandwiches to celebrate the opening of their second Manchester site
Danny Jones
Popeyes is once again set to give away dozens of free chicken sandwiches to celebrate the opening of their latest location and the second here in Greater Manchester later this week.
The announcement that another Manc Popeyes was set to pop up just a few months on from their flagship restaurant in Piccadilly One came just this past March and people are starting to get super excited about this newest edition – and for good reason.
Not only it is another place for people to get their hands on the legendary Louisiana fried chicken but it’s also set to be a drive-thru – just their sixth anywhere in the UK, in fact.
Better still, those looking to get their hands on a freebie this Friday can do so from their car too.
Just as with their first opening back in October, there are set to be huge queues for the Popeyes on Bury New Road as fans get ready to be among the first line as the fast food franchise is giving away 25 of their iconic fried chicken sandwiches for absolutely free.
And that goes for those queuing up in their cars too, as they can also get their hands on those beloved spiced sarnies by being among the first to get in the drive-thru. Be warned though, the last one stretched for a whopping 16 hours.
To top it all off, the first three of those to make it to the counter/pay window will be given free fried chicken for a whole year. Yes, seriously.
We were there when lucky Manc Hashim was the very first in line at the Piccadilly opening and walked away with the ultimate prize. We’ve never been more jealous in our lives.
There’ll also be lots of Popeyes merch up for grabs which has become a bit of a cult favourite amongst merch collectors. We’re not exactly sure why but people got nuts for those baseball caps.
The all-new American chicken restaurant will not only be their second in the region but mark the brand’s 11th opening so far this year and 47th since landing in the UK back in November 2021.
Popeyes’ Manchester drive-thru opens on 288-292 Bury New Road at 11am on Friday, 26 April, so if you want to be in with a chance you better be quick. You can find the full terms and conditions HERE.
We recently went back to their exciting city centre site for an episode of our Takeaway Champions and it didn’t disappoint. Safe to say we’re pretty buzzing we’ll soon be able to grab it on the go.