Anti-racist protests held across the country

A human tide has come to defy the wave of far-right violence that has swept the United Kingdom for a week. In north London, England, counter-protesters number in the thousands. The same image of unity has been seen in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol, where communities have gathered in response to the riots and to demonstrate against racism and Islamophobia. “We come to tell racists that they are not welcome in our streets. Here, there is no violence, the idea is to bring people together.”explains a protester.

Authorities feared more than 100 anti-immigration rallies across the country. On the streets, many businesses were closed and barricaded as a precaution, as were law firms specializing in helping asylum seekers. More than 6,000 riot police were deployed, the largest deployment of police forces in more than a decade. Anti-immigration protesters ultimately gathered in small numbers. They were reportedly deterred by the first convictions of rioters. More than 400 people have already been arrested since the riots began.