“Noura.. Escaping the War in Sudan to the Unrest in the United Kingdom”

Sudan Events – Agencies 

Noura, a single mother of four living in Hull, England, describes her harrowing experience last weekend when she and her children were forced to hide inside their apartment as people outside hurled insults and threw bricks at a nearby building. Her children asked what was happening, but she couldn’t tell them that migrants were being targeted because they are migrants themselves.

Noura told ABC News, “I couldn’t tell them that they were targeting migrants because we are migrants.”

Last Saturday, Hull was one of many cities across England and Northern Ireland that found itself gripped by violent unrest led by individuals described by authorities as “far-right thugs.” This violence was triggered by a stabbing attack in Southport that resulted in the deaths of three young girls, leading far-right groups to call for demonstrations and protests.

Misinformation circulated online falsely claimed that the suspect in the stabbing was an illegal Muslim immigrant. The suspect, 18-year-old Axel Rudakobana, was later identified as being born in the UK to Rwandan parents.

Partly due to this misinformation, demonstrations across the UK turned violent, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council reporting 483 arrests related to the unrest and 149 charges filed so far.

Noura said her small family endured a “nightmare” four months ago when they fled war-torn Sudan, where over 10.2 million people have been displaced since August 2024, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

“We had a great life in Khartoum,” Noura said. “If we weren’t threatened and everything wasn’t taken from us, we wouldn’t have chosen to be migrants. At home, we lost everything, and now I have to start over from scratch.”

As her family settled in northern England, Noura felt a sense of safety and belonging. “We felt like we were at home, honestly, we felt safe,” she said.

But when violence erupted in Hull, Noura and her children didn’t leave their apartment. “I cried for two days, reliving everything we had been through,” she said.

On Saturday, less than a mile from Noura’s apartment, Humberside Police confirmed that groups targeted a man in a silver BMW. A video verified by ABC News showed the attack, with agitators shouting “foreigners” and “kill them” while beating the car with sticks.

The UK anti-racism charity “Hope Not Hate” told ABC News via email, “Over the past week, we have seen once again how Telegram has been used by extremists to spread hate and organize events that resulted in shocking violence on the streets of the UK.”

Telegram confirmed to ABC News that a channel titled “Wake Up Southport,” created on the day of the Southport murders, was removed from the platform on August 7. Telegram explained, “Moderators are actively monitoring the situation and removing channels and posts containing calls for violence.”

Before its removal, the channel had gathered over 13,000 followers, with several posts reviewed by ABC News inciting violence and using racist language. One post listed the names and addresses of 39 immigration lawyers with the message, “Wednesday night, lads. They won’t stop coming until you tell them. No more immigration. 8 PM. Wear masks.”

Hope Not Hate said that several prominent figures in the “far-right” should be held accountable for “stoking the flames of hatred against Muslims and migrants,” who are being “scapegoated at the center of a storm of misinformation.”

The charity added, “Communities are paying the price as this rhetoric fuels bigotry and ultimately violence. This not only endangers the safety of Muslims and other minority groups but affects all communities across the country.”

Noura expressed hope to remain in Hull – her children are enjoying their new schools, friends, and activity clubs. Once her asylum application is approved, Noura hopes to resume her work as a specialist in hematology and immunology.

On Sunday, Noura and her children joined neighborhood residents in cleaning up the damage. She said, “We must respect each other and accept our differences. We are here to help each other, to create a better life for everyone.”

She added, “I love living in unity; individually, we are different, and that’s what makes our community beautiful.”