Police Reportedly Target Teens Visiting Christmas Markets Amid Growing Backlash
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have defended their use of a dispersal order in Manchester city centre after footage circulated online showing dozens of young people, many from traveller communities, being escorted onto trains by uniformed officers. The dispersal order was implemented to prevent disturbances, following two reported fights among youths on Saturday, November 23.
The footage, filmed at Victoria Station, shows teenagers being directed onto trains by police. Parents of some of the youths have expressed outrage over the operation. Sarah Smith, from Stoke-on-Trent, said her daughters, aged 21 and 14, were simply visiting the Christmas markets. “They’ve just come here to go shopping,” she told the Manchester Evening News (M.E.N.). “It’s ridiculous and embarrassing when you are a traveller. This is not the way to treat the travelling community”, reported by the Manchester Evening News.
Another parent described the situation as “ridiculous,” adding, “They’re just going to the Christmas markets. There are kids there who are 12 and 13, dressing up to meet their friends. Are they really causing trouble?”
John King, 42, from Nottinghamshire, shared similar frustrations, saying his children, aged 19, 16, and 13, were prevented from leaving the train station. “They haven’t even been allowed out. There were kids being put on trains, and they had no idea where they were going,” he said.
Responding to the criticism, GMP stated the operation aimed to address anti-social behaviour. A spokesperson said: “We are responding to reports of hundreds of youths gathering in Manchester city centre and causing disturbances for retail staff and patrons of the markets. Additional powers have been authorised to manage groups involved in anti-social behaviour more effectively. So far, we have issued 40 dispersal orders.”
A dispersal order, signed at 12:13 PM, granted officers the power to direct individuals likely to cause “harassment, alarm, or distress” to leave the area. The order remains in effect for 48 hours. GMP confirmed arrests of a man and a teenage boy on suspicion of assaulting emergency workers during the operation.
Superintendent Phil Spurgeon emphasized the order’s intent to ensure public safety and ease for visitors: “This order should help visitors travel across Greater Manchester with ease and enable residents to go about their daily activities. There will be an increase in police presence with neighbourhood officers deployed.”
While police maintain the operation was necessary to prevent disorder, the incident has sparked debate over the treatment of young people and members of the traveller community.