How the Cardiff riot was sparked by social media

After a traumatic night which saw rioters torch cars, volley fireworks at police, and indulge in nine hours of mayhem, residents of the close-knit Ely, in Cardiff, are left to deal with the reality of what a rumour can do in the social media age.

It started on Monday evening. A tragedy which would usually define such a night was only the beginning of the destruction which followed. On Ely’s Snowden Road, two teenage boys said to be riding an off-road bike or scooter, were killed in a crash. Such a harrowing event was the catalyst for what reporters on the ground described as a ‘war zone.’

As news of the crash filtered across social media, a reported 150 people later gathered at the scene of the crash. Tensions soon boiled over with police and gangs staging pitched battles as cars went up in flames and terrified residents watched from their windows in horror.