When the Cheers Turned to Screams – The Horror of Liverpool

It was a day destined to go down in the history of the city of Liverpool: tens of thousands of fans had gathered on Monday to celebrate their club’s Premier League triumph – a title that entered the trophy cabinet for the twentieth time, a record, a city in red. Flags waved, smoke rose, rain mingled with pyrotechnics. Joy reigned in the streets, a kind not seen in Liverpool since the 2020 championship, when the pandemic prevented any public celebration.

But then came the silence. And with it, chaos.

A gray minivan sped into a crowd that was cheering the team bus. Eyewitnesses reported a “pop, pop, pop” – the sound of bodies hitting the car’s hood. The scene turned into catastrophe. The vehicle ran over people, dragged them for meters. More than 45 people were injured, 27 had to be taken to hospital, including four children. Two of them are in critical condition.

The driver, a 53-year-old white British man, was arrested. Police are not treating it as a terrorist act. He is believed to have acted alone. But the question of “why?” remains. Merseyside Police are keeping quiet for now, asking for restraint in speculation and warning against sharing distressing content.

What happened on that day in Liverpool was more than just an attack on a celebration. It was an attack on togetherness, on the collective spirit that held the city close in those hours. Peter Jones, a fan from the Isle of Man, saw six people lying on the ground. Another, Harry Rashid, was with his family when the van passed him: “He just kept going. It was horrific.”

Rescue workers had to lift the vehicle to free trapped victims. A medic, on duty himself, was injured.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed shock and offered his sympathies to those affected. The Liverpool FC club and the Premier League released brief but heartfelt statements. “Our thoughts are with those affected,” they said.

The images of that May 26, 2025, will remain: of streets dressed in red, of the smoke from flares – and of the silencing of the cheers. It was a day of triumph. And it became a day of wounds. A day in which a city must once again show its resilience. May it never forget – but never break.