Photo: Reuters Thousands of police and anti-racism
protesters gathered on streets across Britain on Wednesday to challenge
expected far-right groups that failed to materialise following more than a week
of violent racist attacks targeting Muslims and migrants.
Britain has been 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, triggering a wave
of false
messaging online that wrongly identified the suspected killer
as an Islamist migrant.
Posts online had said far-right,
anti-Muslim protesters would target a list of immigration centres, migrant
support centres and specialist law firms on Wednesday, prompting many
businesses to close early and some shops to board up windows.
The reports prompted the deployment
of thousands of police officers, and crowds of protesters massed in towns and
cities including London, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and Hastings, holding
banners saying "Fight racism", "Stop the far right" and
"Will trade racists for refugees".
The protesters were made up of a
diverse collection of Muslims, anti-racist and anti-fascist groups, trade
unionists, left-wing organisations, and locals appalled at the riots that had
hit the country.
By 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) there were no
reports of any serious disorder. Police said around 50 people in Croydon, south
London, had thrown bottles and were trying to cause disruption.
Waste collector Stetson Matthew, 64,
who joined thousands of demonstrators in Walthamstow, northeast London, said
people had the right to protest but that the targeting of ethnic minorities had
put the country on edge.
"Everybody has the right to do
what they need to do but what they must do is to put their voices across
peacefully, amicably, without any stress or violence," he said.
One woman who joined a counter
protest in Hastings, southeast England, said she was relieved to see a large
turnout.
"I felt I absolutely had to be
here tonight to take a stand, and it is much easier for me to come as a white
woman then for some of my non-white friends, so I'm here in solidarity,"
said 37-year-old Lucy, a flower grower, who declined to give her last name.
'STOP THE BOATS'
Riots erupted last week when groups of a
few hundred mostly men clashed with police and smashed windows
of hotels housing asylum-seekers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East,
chanting "get them out" and "stop the boats" - a reference
to those arriving in Britain in small dinghies without permission.
They have also pelted mosques with
rocks, prompting Muslim organisations to issue community safety advice.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a
former chief prosecutor who is facing his first crisis since winning a July 4
election, has warned rioters they would face lengthy jail terms as he seeks to
stamp out the worst outbreak of violence in Britain 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 sentenced to 20 and 30 months, respectively.
"This is the swift action we're
taking. If you provoke violent disorder on our streets or online, you will face
the full force of the law," Starmer said.
Migration to Britain was a major
factor in its 2016 vote to leave the European Union and it 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 saw record net migration
levels in 2022, with numbers buoyed by those arriving from Ukraine and Hong
Kong, and through work and student visas.
Net migration through legal means
was some 685,000 in 2023, while 29,000 people arrived on small boast across the
Channel, many having fled war zones. The far-right chants of "stop the
boats" was also a slogan of the Conservative Party before it was swept out
of power after 14 years at the election.
The government has put together a
so-called "standing army" of 6,000 specialist police officers to
respond to any violence.
The National Police Chiefs' Council
said more than 120 people had been charged and 428 arrests made in connection
with the disorder.
