International
Thousands of Anti-Racists Counter Far-Right Rallies in UK
Thousands of anti-racist protesters took to the streets across the United Kingdom to counter far-right rallies planned to target immigration centres, thwarting what seemed to be another day of rioting.
Following days of violence spurred by disinformation about a deadly stabbing attack, police had braced for unrest on Wednesday night.
Far-right groups on social media had called for protests at visa processing centres and immigration lawyers’ offices in over 100 locations nationwide at 8 p.m. local time.
By early evening, thousands of counter-protesters had gathered in more than a dozen cities to guard immigration centres and prevent far-right targeting.
“There are many, many more of us than you,” crowds chanted at anti-racist demonstrations across the country.
The events were marked by a stronger police presence compared to the weekend, with virtually no sign of far-right supporters.
Whether Wednesday’s counter-protests represent a turning point remains unclear, but fears of another night of unrest have abated. The fizzling out of the planned protests is a relief for the new Labour government and communities that had prepared for the worst.
Many may have been deterred from taking to the streets after previous far-right protests turned violent. Hundreds of rioters were arrested over the weekend, with some already receiving prison sentences.
In Walthamstow, east London, the immigration centre was boarded up, protected by heavy police presence and surrounded by around three to four thousand counter-protesters.
“We today have got such brilliant numbers in our community,” an organizer shouted through a megaphone. “We have shown them whose streets these really are. These are our streets.”
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Ahmed Hussain, 31, supported the counter-protesters because “when you don’t, the fascists feel emboldened.” He noted, “In London, you would never see them rioting on the scale that they have outside London… it shows that when everyone comes out to support, their numbers dwindle.”
The worst violence of the past week occurred in northern England. In Rotherham on Sunday, far-right rioters set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers as more than 200 people cowered inside. Large crowds shouting “Enough is enough” and “Get ’em out” clashed with police in several other cities.
In Sheffield, residents felt terrified by the outbreak of violence, which they said had emboldened racist behaviour.
“I normally walk through this city centre all the time,” said Nadeem Akhtar, 18, a lifelong Sheffield resident. “But now, recently, even my mum’s been saying to me, don’t be going out so much, because you never know what could happen.”
Akhtar gathered with friends in the city centre to demonstrate against a planned far-right protest. Unlike last week, where protests escalated into racist violence, the Sheffield demonstration had a large police presence separating protesters and counter-protesters.
At least three right-wing demonstrators were arrested during altercations between the groups. As one man was escorted away by police, he called out: “I ain’t done nothing. Double standards.”
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