England was rocked recently by a spate of riots, vandalism, and violence partly targeting Muslims, but one man went viral on social media for proving that such deplorable behavior is the exception, not the rule, in Jolly Olde England.
The mosque in Southport was burned down last Tuesday, but local Bricklayer Tony Hill has been labeled a “legend” for helping the Southport community rebuild it, laying bricks in blazing heat with astonishing speed and efficiency.
In a video clip on X that went viral, Hill can be seen sweating and smearing mortar while attempting to explain his motives. The quote below is edited to reflect his thoughts, which may have been difficult for US readers to understand
“We spoke to the company we work for, and the [other building crews] were coming down, so we just joined them. And yeah, just try and get it done before someone comes back.”
“We just really want to get this up so that the community is safe,” he told a person on the scene interviewing him. “It’s just a community isn’t it? You can tell by… just looking at everyone here, it’s quite diverse.”
The mosque was burned down after three young women were stabbed to death on Monday.
“Rioters in Southport had been triggered by an avalanche of misinformation on social media, in particular after a website falsely claimed that the killer of the young girls was a migrant from a majority Muslim country on the MI6 watchlist,” according to the London Economic.
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Despite the racial charge to the issue, Bricklayer Hill was generous and diplomatic. When asked if he had a message to those who tore the wall down, he replied sympathetically, “Get your facts straight before you start doing stuff. Facebook’s a dangerous thing.”
Hill hoped to have the wall finished in the next few hours, and said if he had to rebuild it again, he wouldn’t hesitate.
Viewed 5.4 million times on X, commenters celebrated Hill demonstrating what “being British is all about.”
The Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti called him a “legend”. The director of Islamic Relief UK, Tufail Hussain, agreed with that description, saying that “Tony Hill and all that have turned up today to support the local community in Southport are absolute legends.” Another X user remarked that “we should all be a bit more Tony Hill.”
WATCH the viral video below…
Spare a thought for Tony Hill who has been working at break neck speed in blazing hot sun to rebuild the Southport mosque wall before the far right can return.
— Barney Davis (@BarneyDavisIND) July 31, 2024
He said: “And if we have to build it again afterwards we will do just that.” pic.twitter.com/e0IplQreGQ
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