Thousands of counter-protesters rally after riots
PA Media
Counter-protesters gather in Walthamstow, London
Thousands of counter-protesters have rallied in towns and cities across England after a week of rioting and disorder.
Gatherings in locations where anti-immigration protests had been expected – including north London, Bristol and Newcastle – were largely peaceful, as counter-protesters formed the bulk of the crowds.
Police had been braced for further violence, with thousands of officers monitoring as many as 100 locations.
The demonstrations followed days of riots initially sparked by misinformation online that the suspect in the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport on 29 July was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers have been among places targeted over the last week, with some shops burnt out and looted.
On high streets across England, shop owners boarded up windows and closed early on Wednesday in anticipation of further violence.
Immigration lawyers had been told by police to work from home after lists of solicitors’ firms and advice agencies were shared in chat groups as possible targets.
But only a handful of arrests were reported during the evening as demonstrations largely passed off peacefully.
This comes after more than 400 arrests related to the riots, with more than 140 people charged, and some already convicted and sentenced.
Earlier on Wednesday, three men were given jail sentences for their parts in the violent disorder in Southport and Liverpool.
The largely peaceful evening raises the question of whether those arrests, custodial sentences and the desire of others to take a stand against the violence has had an impact on those who intended to riot.
In Walthamstow, north London, thousands of people chanted “Whose streets? Our streets” and “refugees are welcome here”, while one man beat his drum enthusiastically. Some people held signs that said “Smash the far right”.
Meanwhile about 1,500 counter-protesters gathered in Bristol. The streets of the city were filled with trade unionists, anti-fascists and members of the black and Asian community.
In Brighton, eight protesters gathered outside a building they believed contained the office of a lawyer specialising in nationality and refugee law.
They were surrounded by more than a thousand counter-protesters and forced to shelter against a building surrounded by a ring of police officers.
Watch: Thousands gather at Walthamstow anti-racism demo
In Newcastle, about 500 counter-protesters, mostly Muslims, took over the pavement in front of the Beacon Centre, where an immigration service business had been on a list of expected targets.
The crowd chanted “refugees welcome” and “Geordies united will never be defeated.”
The local imam said they had been scared to come after the violence this week, but they wanted to show the real side of Newcastle and were reassured by the presence of so many people.
Most of the crowd had dispersed by 21:30 after achieving their stated aim – to reclaim the streets.
Up to 1,500 people took to the streets in Bristol
Outside Accrington town hall in Lancashire, about 100 people gathered, with one man holding a megaphone saying everyone was welcome. One verified video on social media showed pubgoers embracing Muslims on the town’s streets.
“It was a pure expression of solidarity and support,” said Haddi Malik, 25, who lives in nearby Manchester and took the video.
In Southampton, between 300 and 400 people assembled at Grosvenor Square, chanting “racists go home” and “racism off our streets”.
About 10 anti-immigration protesters also arrived in the area, with the two groups kept apart by police. One arrest was made.
A brief scuffle between protesters and counter-protesters was reported in Aldershot, prompting police officers to move in to separate the two sides.
In Tamworth, about four miles from where a mob attacked a hotel housing asylum seekers on Sunday, 30 to 40 people gathered at a location listed as a place of possible protest.
One had a banner which read “Stop the Invasion”. As of 20:30 the protest was peaceful, and there were no counter-protesters.
Disorder was reported in Croydon, which the Metropolitan Police said was not linked to protest, but with the “intention to cause disruption and fuel disorder”.
Around 50 people gathered, threw objects down the road and bottles at officers, police said. Eight arrests were made.
Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner visited the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, another hotel housing asylum seekers that was attacked by rioters on Sunday.
Rayner vowed those involved with riots “will be met with the law” and urged people to “stay away from it”.
Asked if protesters had legitimate concerns about immigration, she said: “Coming on the streets, throwing missiles at the police, attacking hotels like this one is not a legitimate grievance. It’s not the way we do politics in this country. And nobody should be condoning that. This is thuggery. This is violence.“
Riot police are expected to stay on standby for the “foreseeable future” including through the weekend “and beyond”, according to assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams.
King Charles is being kept updated daily about the public disorder around the country, according to Buckingham Palace, but is not expected to make any imminent interventions or visits to trouble spots.
Additional reporting by Joe Inwood in Bristol, Lucinda Adam in Brighton, James Bovill in Tamworth
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