Alex Beresford says Britain 'didn't feel like home' as ITV GMB star blasts riots: 'So many feel the same!'

This past weekend alone saw hundreds of arrests made as violent clashes between police and thugs in the likes of Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Blackpool and Belfast resulted in several officers being injured.

Mosques and hotels harbouring asylum seekers were also targeted while on Monday night, Plymouth became the latest British town to play witness to destructive scenes.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promptly rolled out a "standing army" and new measures for police to ensure anyone taking part in the violence will "regret" it.

And several famous faces have spoken out amid the riots to condemn the scenes that unfolded, including singer Paloma Faith, BBC Strictly star Oti Mabuse and ITV GMB's Beresford.

Taking to X, Bristolian Beresford, 46, fumed in response to the demonstrations: "I was born here but this weekend it didn’t feel like home and I know so many who felt the same.

"Guess we’ll all just go to work like normal Monday morning."

He was soon inundated with sympathetic and apologetic replies from his fanbase, including one who replied: "It shouldn’t be like this. Ever !! One Race ! Human Race ! My heart breaks seeing and hearing the pain. There’s no way to make it make sense. I’m sorry."

A second agreed: "It's very unsettling. I've found myself telling my sons (in their 20s) to be vigilant, eyes wide open, and any bad vibes or signs things are going to kick off just get out and get home!"

I was born here but this weekend it didn’t feel like home and I know so many who felt the same.

Guess we’ll all just go to work like normal Monday morning.💔

— Alex Beresford (@alexberesfordTV) August 4, 2024

"I’m angry because I’m an immigrant and my children were born here. But because I’m white, that’s ‘okay’? I’m so, so sad," a third weighed in.

Before a fourth typed: "Events of the last seven days have been heartbreaking. Social media has a lot to answer for too." (sic)

Beresford, whose father is of a Guyanese background, found himself thrust into the national spotlight back in 2021 when he confronted former colleague Piers Morgan on-air about his Meghan Markle coverage.

Morgan had been a vocal critic of the Duchess of Sussex but when Beresford confronted him about his language, Morgan stormed off the set of the ITV breakfast show.

Beresford then became the victim of horrific racist abuse online for the part he played in the debate and Morgan's subsequent exit from the show.

He told the Telegraph in 2021: "Three weeks ago I took part in a television debate about the decision of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to publicly reveal the racism they claimed to have suffered as members of the Royal Family and the impact on their mental health.

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"Since then I have been subjected to relentless racism myself on social media.

"I haven’t announced it (like the former Arsenal player Thierry Henry did this week when he publicly quit social media, in response to anonymous racist bullying) but I have been forced to step away from Twitter and Facebook myself, because it was getting too much. I am a strong person, but I am not made of steel."

Starmer has branded many of those committing the violence as "far-right thuggery" and has vowed to get a grip of the demonstrations.

However, Starmer has also faced calls to soften the language he uses when describing those concerned by immigration by another public figure in the form of Jeremy Clarkson.