Far-right riots: UK government warns of more trouble as anti-racists take to streets in solidarity
A tense calm is hanging over the UK after thousands of people took to the streets on Wednesday evening to protest against racism, after a week of violent anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant riots.
The government’s policing minister, Diana Johnson, nonetheless warned that “this is just the start”, saying that more riots have been planned by far-right activists.
Johnson's warning came as Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, deleted a post he shared of a fake Daily Telegraph headline saying Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering building “emergency detainment camps” on the Falkland Islands to imprison rioters.
On Wednesday morning it was reported that police had intelligence of around 100 far-right demonstrations across Britain planned for the evening, up from an initial prediction of 30.
In many places, people prepared for the worst, with businesses in many areas boarding up their premises, especially those owned by immigrants and ethnic minorities.
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Medical appointments were cancelled in some places and immigration centres and law firms on rumoured hit lists closed their doors in preparation.
Even in London's financial district, some workers were reportedly told to stay at home. Around 6,000 officers were deployed in the single biggest nationwide police mobilisation of resources since the 2011 riots.
All this came amid a spate of highly publicised prosecutions of those arrested for rioting over the past week, with over a hundred people charged and others jailed after accepting guilty pleas.
However, when evening came on Wednesday, the rumoured far-right mobilisation failed to materialise.
Instead, thousands of anti-racist protesters poured into the streets in a show of defiance against the far right.
‘They wouldn’t dare’
Up to 25,000 people turned out in cities across the country, in nearly all cases outnumbering anti-immigration demonstrators - who were largely small groups surrounded by police officers.
In Haringey, a lone man draped in an England flag was photographed facing off against hundreds of counter-protesters holding signs denouncing racism.
Just four far-right demonstrators were besieged by thousands of counter-protesters in Brighton.
London saw no significant far-right demonstrations. A small business owner in the west of the city told Middle East Eye on Wednesday afternoon that he almost hoped the far-right would turn up in the capital.
Pubgoers embrace Muslims defending their community in Accrington. This is the way forward. Unity. The racist thugs are in the minority. pic.twitter.com/uzg9XcOOIV
— Taj Ali (@Taj_Ali1) August 7, 2024
“We’ll give them a lesson,” he said, smiling. “Here we have all sorts - Arab, Indian, Black, white. Everyone is together. No one is better than anyone else.”
A friend of his laughed. “They wouldn’t dare to show up here.”
In Walthamstow, far-right demonstrators were unable to so much as approach an immigration centre they had planned to target - it was being blocked by a sea of 5,000 anti-racism protesters, who had shown up to defend it.
Meanwhile in Oldham, no far-right demonstrators arrived at all, leaving hundreds of anti-racism protesters standing outside an immigration lawyer’s office.
In Chatham, 50 anti-racism protesters found themselves outnumbered by 150 anti-immigration protesters, who scuffled with local police. Five people were arrested.
'If you do stuff online we will come for you, just as much as we will come for you for what you do on the streets'
– Diana Johnson, policing minister
A far-right mob blocked off a dual carriageway into Portsmouth, shouting racist slurs and “no more immigrants”. They were soon removed by riot squad police officers.
In most places, the crowds were ethnically diverse. At many protests, Palestinian flags could be seen and people wore keffiyehs. Slogans were chanted, including “Nazi scum, off our streets” and “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here”.
In Accrington, a group of young Asian Muslim men marching through the streets were embraced and praised by local white pub-goers, one of whom said he respected what they were doing.
The Labour government reportedly banned its MPs from attending counter-protests, although some defied the order.
Wednesday ‘just the start’
What happened to the expected far-right demonstrations? Some far-right activists online have claimed since Wednesday evening that plans circulated for demonstrations on social media and apps like Telegram were false ruses to stir up panic.
But there is no evidence for this. The Metropolitan Police commissioner in London, Mark Rowley, said on Thursday morning he was “really pleased with how it went”.
“We put thousands of officers on the streets and I think the show of force from the police and, frankly, the show of unity from communities together defeated the challenges that we’ve seen.”
Journalist Taj Ali said that, “I know Muslim sisters who were having panic attacks and barricading themselves in their homes in the northeast in fear. A strong police presence reassured them.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to chair a Cobra meeting with law enforcement officials on Thursday afternoon to plan for the days ahead.
On Thursday morning, police in London launched a series of dawn raids on people they labelled “criminal thugs” who participated in riots.
Meanwhile, the policing minister, Diana Johnson, said that since the rioting began over 400 people have been arrested and over 140 charged.
“If you do stuff online we will come for you, just as much as we will come for you for what you do on the streets of our country if you're carrying out criminal disorder and violence.”
She also warned that more riots could erupt.
"There is now further intelligence of events during the next few days, and we need to see what happens there," she said.
The trigger for the riots was online misinformation, which went viral following a stabbing attack that killed three children in Southport last Monday.
False claims spread rapidly online that the attacker was a Muslim and illegal immigrant.
On Wednesday a report by YouGov found that one-third of British people support the anti-immigration protests that have spiralled into violent riots over the past week, with seven percent of respondents saying they supported the Islamophobic and racist violence that accompanied the demonstrations.
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