A confrontation between patriot group Raise the Colours (RtC) and Stirchley residents on Thursday night left a woman punched and a man with a crushed leg, now hospitalized after surgery. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of wounding.
What Happened
Around 10pm on Mayfield Road and Pershore Road, RtC members confronted locals who were removing British flags from lampposts. Mobile phone footage shows two men in RtC hoodies grabbing face masks and punching. A woman said she was punched by a man in an RtC hoodie, corroborated by footage. The injured man, in his 30s, was hit by a van; he was too scared to call out for fear of retaliation.
Arrests and Response
A 44-year-old and a 52-year-old man were arrested on Saturday. RtC leader Ryan Bridge, who attended Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally in London and was arrested by Met police, defended the group on BBC Midlands Today, calling flag removal "an act of treason."
Other News
A 'watch-drop' for a new Swatch caused city centre chaos with shoppers camping overnight. Wolverhampton's Aaron Rai won the US PGA Championship, the first Brit in 107 years. Kate Knowles' exclusive investigation linked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to a 2004 vote-rigging scandal, with court transcripts contradicting her denials.
