The Clumsy Swan, the world’s richest man and how Brum found itself at the centre of a transatlantic political debate
The Clumsy Swan, the world’s richest man and how Brum found itself at the centre of a transatlantic political debate
What really happened on Monday night in East Birmingham?
Hello Patchers — On Monday, a Birmingham pub was briefly at the centre of a transatlantic political argument featuring the richest man in the world. Amid UK-wide riots led by far-right mobs, a widely-circulated video of Asian men attacking a lone white man outside The Clumsy Swan in Yardley suggested to some that this wasn't an entirely one-sided story.
“Why aren’t all communities protected in Britain?” Elon Musk wrote as he reposted a video of the scene and tagged in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The viral post brought the phrase “two-tier policing”, which was already growing in use, to the forefront of the national conversation. The scenes in Birmingham suggested to some that while police were cracking down on riots by white people, Muslim protests were allowed to get out of hand.
But is that the whole truth?
We were at the Muslim community demonstrations where the breakaway group who attacked the pub later in the evening appeared to come from. While one demo did get rowdy — Sky News journalists reported a man trying to slash the tyres of their van with a knife and an LBC reporter was chased away by “groups of Asian men” — they were mostly unthreatening environments. We also went to The Clumsy Swan the next day and found out what really happened between the man who got beaten up and his attackers. He even showed up again while we were there — and swiftly got kicked out!
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Brum in brief
🚨A man has been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred in police investigations linked to social media rumours about protests in Birmingham on Monday. West Midlands Police is looking into content across platforms including an image of a man holding a firearm. The force said: “We will not tolerate violence in our towns and cities, or tolerate those who use social media to encourage such violence.”
🍻Historic cellar pub Bacchus Bar has reopened following a refurbishment that includes new seating and a refreshed bar. The spot’s distinctive features, like its gothic arches and cherub mouldings, have been retained. There’s even a new menu.
🫖Coventry’s Antsy Hall is offering a classic English tradition with a twist. Head there for High Chai and enjoy an afrernoon tea with a fusion of contemporary and historical flavours. Almond éclair with caramel cremeux and pistachio is on the menu curated by executive chef Ryan Swift. From £42 and available all year round. Book here.
The Clumsy Swan, the world’s richest man and how Brum found itself at the centre of a transatlantic political debate
By Kate Knowles
“Is this Britain or the Soviet Union?” Elon Musk, one of the richest and most famous men on the planet asked in a post on his platform, X, last Sunday. It was the first of many online interventions the South African-born, American businessman has made into British politics over the last few days. The second concerned a pub in East Birmingham.
Musk reposted a video of the pub being attacked on Monday night by a group of mostly young, Asian men, claiming that the police’s failure to swiftly respond was evidence of “two-tier policing”, a phrase which has come into popular use during the recent UK race riots. There is one rule for white Britians and another for Muslims, the charge goes. Musk, perhaps still smarting at being nicknamed “apartheid Clyde” by the rapper Azealia Banks in 2021, hit out at the prime minister, calling him: “Two-tier Keir”.
The proprietors of The Clumsy Swan probably hadn’t expected to end up at the centre of a political debate involving one of the world’s most powerful people when they laid out their bar mats at the start of the evening, but that’s exactly what had happened.
Starmer isn’t the only politician who got it in the neck. The night the video of the pub was taken, Labour MP for Yardley Jess Phillips faced criticism for seemingly defending Muslims who had gathered in her constituency to protect against the expected arrival of far-right thugs.
When videos began circulating of mostly young, Asian men assembled on the roundabout by Bordesley Green McDonalds, as others sped around on bikes and in cars and setting off flares, Phillips posted to X, in response to criticism by Reform MP Richard Tice: “All day rumours have been spread that a far-right group were coming and it was done entirely to get Muslim people out on the street to drive this content.”
Phillips had identified a tactic, possibly used in Birmingham, that differentiated our city from the mostly white areas like Tamworth where mobs had descended. Sources have suggested that, as riots broke out across the country, kick started by a mob attacking a mosque in Southport after false rumours spread that the suspect of a triple stabbing murder was a Muslim who recently arrived in the UK, Birmingham was subject to a different kind of threat. Namely, the spread of misinformation to try and get Muslims out in defence, in the hope some would cause trouble for the police and create footage for bigots to spread online. What the far-right didn’t count on was the more measured and compassionate response by the community that has largely stopped the Birmingham riot narrative in its tracks.
Rumours that unrest was planned started to spread from the early hours of Monday morning throughout the day. In a now-closed Telegram channel that had been set up to mobilise potential rioters in the wake of the Southport murders, threatening messages appeared: “Alum Rock here we come” read one. “We must conquer Alum Rock,” and “The Pakis in Alum Rock have guns,” read others. The group began to be infiltrated by more and more non-racists, Brummies and journalists like myself. Voicenotes from men with Brummie accents appeared, daring the extremists to descend on a majority-Muslim area. Even some of the group’s original members were against the idea: “I guarantee no one goes to Alum Rock you’ll get stabbed up by them all,” wrote someone with the username Joe Tranter.
A more organised response to the potential threat was arranged. The Village Islamic Centre put out a call to the community to come out in protection. A video of Jabir Farooq, a man who looks to be in his 30s, circulated in which he suggested the ‘EDL’ march had been confirmed. “We need you to come and show that we will protect our communities. We will not stand shy, we will stand close to our people,” he said, before reading out the address and the meeting time of 5pm. Other messages also shared another location, just down the road, where counter-demonstrators were said to be attending — outside the Bordesley Green McDonalds.
When I arrive at the mosque just before 5pm, I’m not sure what to expect. I have no idea if the extremists calling themselves the ‘EDL’ are nearby and if they are, if there will be violence between the two sides. There are roughly 200 people here, mostly men, mostly Muslims. Many have their faces covered with masks or balaclavas. I’m not even sure if I will be welcome, frankly, but this concern is quickly dispelled when the men encourage me to walk through the crowd and direct me to the Mosque leaders who are wearing hi-vis vests. They are in the middle of an interview with Dunya News so I walk around and am approached by a friendly-looking man in glasses.
Akeel Nazar, 28, explains that the plan is to wait here and make sure community members can enter the mosque, but that they have no plans to fight unless they are attacked. He is keen to let me know that he knows not all white people are far-right: “The last thing we want is to paint people with the same brush. That’s what they do to us. We know it’s a small minority.” He asks another man to speak to me, who won’t tell me his name but says he is in his mid-30s. “[Tommy Robinson] is exploiting the white working class,” he says. “Our concern is the organ grinders not the monkeys. This is a street-level, essential response. We want to protect our institutions and neighbourhoods.”
We finish talking after the man explains what he sees as Starmer’s “moral failure of leadership” by disregarding the Muslim community, and I feel a tap on my back. I turn around to see a man standing on the back of a small lorry, hooded up and wearing a balaclava. He reaches out towards me with a bottle of water. “It’s important to stay hydrated!”.
Over the next two hours the crowd thins out and mats are brought outside for the imam to lead prayers. The men bow their heads to the ground and chant “Allahu Akbar” melodically. The imam wraps things up by telling them to be on hand to protect the mosque and community members over the coming days and weeks. He says: “The EDL won’t even be looking in this direction, inshallah.”
I’m detailing all of this partly to emphasise that, when the photographer and I head over to the second location, there is a difference in atmosphere. Here there are flares and snap bangs going off and a larger crowd lining the roads all faced towards a group of lads on the junction, while others speed around them on souped-up bikes and cars. Yes, it is louder and sometimes tense, but it does not feel threatening, personally.
Online, things are being interpreted differently though. After Sky News broadcasts from the scene and a guy drives into shot on a bike swearing and shouting “free Palestine”, headlines describing a “frightening moment” and “shocking diatribe” appear on the Mirror website. Sky also shares a video from inside their van, of a man on the outside, wearing a balaclava, who pulls out a knife and tries to slash the wheel of their van in front. They drive away but LBC reporter Fraser Knight claims he is chased out of the area by “around 6 men” with “what looked like a weapon”.
At the scene, the imam from the Village Mosque drives up to the roundabout, steps out and speaks with the young men gathered there. “I’m the imam here,” he says, trying to reason with them and convince them to move on, but they don’t listen. Amid the scrum, the photographer I’m with (who is an Asian man) has his camera kicked out of his hands by one of the young masked men. He is fine, the lens is not. Several people approach him to apologise. While that is happening, I am approached by a man called Muhammed who had seen me earlier at the mosque. “This is embarrassing,” he says “I don’t want this to become the story.”
The biggest story to come out of the evening starts with a video, shot on a mobile phone from inside The Clumsy Swan Pub where staff and customers have barricaded themselves. Outside, a group of young men who have broken away from the protest, attack a lone, 51-year-old white man called Sean McDonagh. He is quickly pushed to the floor and they surround him, kicking him, before he hides under a table. Other footage shows the crowd of attackers and onlookers grow. A window is smashed. These videos spread online. Jess Phillips posts on X: “People in Yardley are scared tonight. We have directed police to all locations of violence we are hearing about. Any acts of violence will not be tolerated.”
It was scary, the assistant manager Linda Fogarty confirms to GB News the next day, especially for the children inside. When I go to The Clumsy Swan and chat with the regulars there, they are staunchly protective of their local. However, they tell me they have no issue with the Muslim community in general and that the attackers are “just kids” causing trouble. They also reveal that McDonagh was provoking the young men from the protest as they walked past by shouting “EDL” which you can’t hear in the video. He has now been barred from the pub, something I can attest to because he shows up while I am here. “Out!” shouts Fogarty as soon as she sets eyes on him. McDonagh sheepishly slinks away.
Other members of the Muslim community also quickly responded in an attempt to heal the rift. Before Monday night was through, they showed up at the pub, apologised and offered to pay for the damage. A photo went around of local man Naveed Sadiq shaking hands with a punter in a wheelchair.
On Wednesday, Tribune journalist Taj Ali revealed on X that an experienced anti-racist organiser, a trusted source, had told him the “far right is spreading misinformation in Luton, Birmingham and other areas with big Muslim communities to get us to turn out and cause trouble for police”. It might have worked for a moment.
They might have had the world’s richest man helping to fan the flames, but they didn’t count on the compassionate and cooperative response by both the Muslim and white communities in Yardley and East Birmingham who don’t want to see the riots that have afflicted Tamworth, Manchester and other places, repeated here. Will we see Elon Musk tweeting about that? Don’t hold your breath.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Richard Tice is a Conservative MP. He is a Reform Party MP and the story has been edited.
Hands down the most balanced, objective, and informative content I have seen on the disturbances in Bordesely Green - full respect for this article.
'When I go to The Clumsy Swan and chat with the regulars there...' - no one else did, that I have seen.
"...they are staunchly protective of their local. However, they tell me they have no issue with the Muslim community in general and that the attackers are “just kids” causing trouble." Actual reporting.
"...McDonagh was provoking the young men from the protest as they walked past by shouting “EDL”... He has now been barred from the pub, something I can attest to because he shows up while I am here. “Out!” shouts Fogarty as soon as she sets eyes on him. McDonagh sheepishly slinks away."
In the midst of such vicious misleading content, in such a vicious and misled spate of violence, this is so honest it makes me want to cry.
Thank you very much for your great work actually talking to the locals, rather than behaving like all those big papers - who seem to just want to stir tensions with their inflammatory headlines.