LONDON:
Thousands of police and anti-racism protesters took to the streets across Britain on Wednesday to challenge expected far-right groups that failed to materialize after more than a week of violent racist attacks targeting Muslims and immigrants.
Britain was hit by a series of riots that erupted early last week after three young girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England, sparking a wave of hoax messages online misidentifying the suspected killer as an Islamic immigrant.
Online posts said far-right, anti-Muslim protesters would target a list of immigration centers, migrant support centers and specialist law firms on Wednesday, prompting many businesses to close early and some shops to board up shop windows.
The reports prompted the deployment of thousands of police and crowds of protesters gathered in towns and cities including London, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and Hastings, holding banners reading ‘Fight racism’, ‘Stop the far right’ and ‘We will exchange racists about refugees”.
The protesters were made up of a variety of Muslims, anti-racist and anti-fascist groups, trade unionists, left-wing organizations and locals terrified by the riots that had hit the country.
Until 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) there were no reports of any serious disruption. Police said around 50 people in Croydon, south London, threw bottles and were trying to cause a disturbance.
Waste collector Stetson Matthew, 64, who joined thousands of protesters in Walthamstow, north-east London, said people had the right to protest but that the targeting of ethnic minorities had brought the country into trouble.
“Everyone has the right to do what they want, but what they need to do is express their voice peacefully, amicably, without stress or violence,” he said.
A woman who took part in a counter-protest in Hastings, southeast England, said she was relieved to see a large turnout.
“I felt like I absolutely had to be here tonight to take a stand, and it’s a lot easier for me to come as a white woman then for some of my non-white friends, so I’m here in solidarity,” said Lucy, 37, a anthos, who declined to give her last name.
Stop the boats
The riots erupted last week when groups of several hundred mostly men clashed with police and smashed the windows of hotels housing asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, shouting “get them out” and “stop the boats” – a reference to them arriving in Britain in unlicensed small boats.
Mosques were also pelted with rocks, prompting Muslim organizations to issue community safety advisories.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former attorney general facing his first crisis since winning the July 4 election, has warned rioters they face long jail terms as he tries to quell Britain’s worst outbreak of violence in 13 years.
A 58-year-old man was jailed for three years for violent disorder on Wednesday, while two others, aged 41 and 29, were jailed for 20 and 30 months respectively.
“This is the swift action we are taking. If you cause violent disorder on our streets or online, you will face the full force of the law,” Starmer said.
Immigration to Britain was a major factor in the 2016 vote to leave the European Union and was a battleground during last month’s election, with Nigel Farage’s Reform Party winning around 4 million votes on calls for tighter border controls.
Britain has seen record net immigration levels in 2022, with numbers boosted by those arriving from Ukraine and Hong Kong, as well as on work and student visas.
Net migration through legal means was about 685,000 in 2023, while 29,000 people arrived in small boats across the Channel, many of whom have fled war zones. Far-right chants of “stop the boats” were also a slogan of the Conservative Party before it was swept from power after 14 years at the polls.
The government has assembled a so-called “standing army” of 6,000 special police officers to respond to any violence.
The National Council of Police Chiefs said more than 120 people had been charged and 428 arrests had been made in connection with the unrest.
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