Death of Elizabeth II: Liverpool, the rebellious city, proclaims its indifference to the “Royals”

Don’t talk to him about Elizabeth II, even dead and about to be buried. Alan McFeely raises a bushy eyebrow. ” The Queen ? A parasite. The 59-year-old volunteer stirs the crate of onions waiting for customers at the food bank posted along Lodge Lane, the main artery of Toxteth, this neighborhood whose name we no longer pronounce. Everyone says “Liverpool 8”, or “L 8”, the postcode, as if to erase from memory the violent riots of 1981, triggered by the arrest of a young black man, Leroy Cooper. Mc Feely, social worker in housing, insists: “The queen has lived all her life in luxury and does not know what poverty is. “In Liverpool, Alan Mc Feely, 59, is a volunteer for the Fans Supporting Foodbanks association, which organizes a food bank in the Toxteth district, September 15, 2022. BENJAMIN CARROT FOR “THE WORLD” Those who queue on Lodge Lane are, on the contrary, acutely aware of it. This Thursday, September 15, they are not waiting to see a royal coffin, but to glean a packet of flour, coffee, preserves, fruit or vegetables, a little meat – today chicken. They are entitled to ten items for the modest sum of 3.50 pounds (4 euros) and as many unsold items as there are available. Merchandise is displayed on stalls, like in a real market. “It’s not at all the same when you pay a little something”, slips Robby Daniels, one of the seventeen volunteers of the mobile food bank, dressed in a purple T-shirt. Back Rockfield Road, near Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool FC football team, September 15, 2022. BENJAMIN CARROT FOR “THE WORLD” Behind the refrigerated truck, also purple, he shows the logos painted on the rear doors. A red hand, that of Liverpool Football Club (LFC) Reds, shakes a blue hand, that of their eternal rivals Everton. Hence the purple color painted everywhere. The enemy brothers, 130 and 144 years old respectively, have joined the “Greenhouse Project”, which oversees this operation to help city residents hit hard by soaring prices. Does the situation have to be serious… But how do you let your compatriots down when you represent two legendary clubs, whose names resonate as strongly as that of the Beatles, children of the city? “Not my King” Purple, the color of half-mourning, suits Liverpool well. After London, its floral madness, its unprecedented queues, its helpful bobbies, the great port in the northwest of England presents the face of a return to reality. The “Royals” indifferent the rebel city. Steve, another 44-year-old volunteer, wears a blue T-shirt on his tattoos that reads “Fuck the Tories”, a song covered on stage when the former prime minister fell Boris Johnson. They ask him for his last name. “Middleton,” Steve replies innocently. Like Kate, Prince William’s wife? His friends are laughing as the thing seems incongruous to them. You have 62.76% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.