How Muslim counter-protesters went from defending a mosque to attacking a pub

It started as a gathering to protect a mosque from a rumoured far-Right demonstration.

But a peaceful counter-protest in the Bordesley Green suburb of Birmingham soon turned violent, ending in an attack on a pub and leaving one pubgoer with a “lacerated liver”.

Sean McDonagh, 51, was punched and kicked outside the Clumsy Swan pub after dozens of men, some carrying Palestine flags, broke off from the main group.

Footage on social media shows Mr McDonagh being punched by a man dressed in a black puffer jacket and balaclava in the pub’s front garden.

Mr McDonagh told The Telegraph he was taken to hospital after the attack and rejected a subsequent apology from the Muslim community.

Muslim men wearing masks and hoods first gathered outside the Village Islamic Centre mosque in the Bordesley Green suburb of Birmingham at around 5pm.

Waving Palestine flags and chanting “Allahu Akbar”, the crowd had turned out following rumours that far-Right protesters planned to descend on the quiet neighbourhood on Monday evening.

After six days of riots across the UK, in which mosques had been targeted, the young Muslim men had come out in force. One man was seen to be wielding what appeared to be a large bat.

As the evening progressed, it became clear the reports were inaccurate and no right-wing mob appeared.

But what had started as a peaceful gathering to protect a mosque soon turned into a violent romp through the city’s streets.

In a clip which captured the chaos, a Sky News live broadcast was interrupted by a masked protester who sped up behind presenter Becky Johnson on a motorbike and shouted “yo, free Palestine, f— the EDL” .

The broadcast was quickly ended and security was sent to the reporter, according to Sky News. The broadcaster said a man in a balaclava stabbed the tyre of one of its broadcast vans but did not damage it and it escaped without suffering any damage.

Later protestors moved away from the mosque and walked further east. Footage posted online at 8.47pm showed a scene of chaos in Alcombe Grove, Stechford, around a mile and a half from the mosque. The video showed a blue Skoda being driven through a crowd of rioters, who attacked the vehicle as it passed and smashed its windows.

It is unclear who the driver was, or why his car became the target of attack, but the anger and violence of the rioters is left to no doubt.

In the late evening, the mob moved south down Stoney Lane, towards the Clumsy Swan pub where punters were enjoying an evening of karaoke.

It was here that Sean McDonagh was attacked by several men. Footage shows a masked man dressed in a black puffer jacket entering the pub’s front garden and swinging a punch at Mr McDonagh. As he falls to the floor, another rioter kicks him in the head.

The pub’s assistant manager Linda Fogarty, 60, could only watch from inside. She had got word that the mob was making its way towards the pub, and had barricaded the rest of her customers indoors, stacking chairs and tables against the front door.