Pubgoer, 51, attacked by masked mob outside Birmingham pub reveals he suffered a torn liver and is ‘not interested’ in any apologies – but landlord says he’s barred for goading them on

A man attacked by a masked mob outside a pub in Birmingham has revealed that he has suffered a torn liver and is ‘not interested’ in any apologies.

Sean McDonagh, 51, was punched and kicked in front of The Clumsy Swan pub after hundreds of men – many waving Palestinian flags – had gathered on Monday night to keep the Muslim community safe from a rumoured far-Right rally.

When the anticipated protest in Bordesley Green failed to materialise, a large group – some armed and many with their faces covered – started attacking the pub in nearby Yardley, believing that EDL members were drinking in there. 

Footage shows the moment Mr McDonagh is assaulted by a man in a black puffer jacket and balaclava outside the pub, which had its doors and windows damaged as the mob tried to break in and terrified customers and staff hid.

It’s understood that he had used ‘offensive language’ and goaded the Asian men as they walked past. The pub has insisted it will bar him for inciting violence.

Those caught up in the chaos criticised police yesterday for failing to intercept the gang and then not responding quickly enough to the attack, despite one of the city’s biggest police stations sitting just down the road. 

As police officers and communities brace for more unrest today, it comes as:

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr McDonagh claimed he had ‘walked into’ the protest after leaving the pub and had no idea there was a march going on.

After he was punched, he fell to the floor and was kicked a number of times.

Asked whether he was recovering, he said: ‘Yeah, I’m good. I just came out of the pub… and that was it, walked into them. I didn’t even know there was a march going on. I’ve been back to hospital with a lacerated liver.

‘I don’t know what it was all about you know. They called me a few things. ‘I don’t even know what’s going on here’, that’s all I said.’

Members of the Muslim community apologised for the attack on Monday, saying ”it was not a true reflection of who we are as a community’.

But Mr McDonagh said ‘I’m not interested’ when asked if he had a response for the apology.

Linda Fogarty, who is the assistant manager of the pub, barricaded pubgoers inside after hearing the angry mob was making its way towards the pub.

The 60-year-old said: ‘I got everyone in, got the chairs in, got the customers in, staff in, locked the doors … And then it just escalated from there, they tried to kick the door in, smashed all the windows. It wasn’t great.’ 

She also told Sky News she wants to ban the punter who was attacked after provoking the group with ‘offensive language’ and inciting violence. She said Muslims have since been supportive and offered to pay for damages. 

‘After the man came outside and he got attacked, the majority of the people that were on the march put a stop to that, protected him, kept him safe,’ she said.

‘The ones that were doing the fighting were trying to boot the door in. They cracked the glass in, damaged the handle to the doors.’

She said those on the march were ‘more sensible than not’, adding: ‘The majority of people that were on the march last night stayed behind, supported us, they offered to pay for damages and everything.

‘They couldn’t apologise enough.’

The incident came amid claims of ‘two-tier policing’, with suggestions that far-Right protests have been treated more firmly by police.

The claim has been pushed by Nigel Farage and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, on his social media site X.

West Midlands Police said it recognised ‘there were some concerns’ with its response and said it was investigating five separate incidents including an assault on a man in his 50s. 

A 46-year-old man was separately arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.

In a statement, the force said it was ‘clear’ there were individuals at the initial gathering who had face coverings and were acting ‘in an antisocial manner’, adding it would have been ‘extremely intimidating for people’. But the force added: ‘On the whole we’ve received positive feedback on how we dealt with the gathering.’

Their view conflicts with accounts of those on the ground. One Muslim community leader accused police of ignoring his tip-off.

At the start of the unrest in Bordesley Green, Sky News were forced to cut short a live broadcast after reporter Becky Johnson was surrounded by a masked group on bikes who yelled expletives and made gun signs at the camera. 

A man later attacked their van with a knife. LBC reporter Fraser Knight described being chased away from the scene by a group of Muslim men who appeared armed and said he was ‘struck’ by ‘the lack of police presence’.

The masked group who targeted the pub walked nearly two miles from the scene of the initial gathering, with footage showing them blocking traffic. But there is no evidence to suggest the police tried to stop them.

The gang approached the pub at about 8.30pm and one of their number was filming. ‘We’re showing dominance, asserting dominance over everybody,’ he said in the footage, which has been shared widely on social media.

Naveed Sadiq, a respected figure in the local Muslim community, rushed to the scene and managed to halt the attack.

He had just come from a meeting hosted by police in Bordesley Green to provide reassurance to the Muslim community – and phoned the officer he met there to warn him of the violence. He was assured ‘nothing is happening’.

Mr Sadiq said: ‘We were told that there isn’t a two-tier policing system. I don’t want to break my relationship with the police, but I did give them a heads-up and they should have been here.’

A 24-year-old pub regular, who asked not to be named, stumbled across the attack on Monday night.

He said: ‘As we’ve seen from the marches that have been going on around the country, they’ve been police-escorted. Now we have a march that has gone from Bordesley Green to here and they’ve not been followed. Literally two minutes away is the biggest police station in the area.’

Several Muslim community members went to the pub to show support yesterday. A local mosque, Mr Sadiq and others have offered to pay for the damage.