Thousands gather in UK to say no to racism and Islamophobia

“Anti-hate protesters clash with thugs,” headlined the tabloid The Daily Mail on Thursday, after peaceful rallies, contrasting with clashes in recent days at protests supported by the far right.

The watchwords: “Stop the far right”, “refugees are welcome”. On the evening of Wednesday 7 August, thousands of people gathered in several cities across the United Kingdom to oppose the racist and Islamophobic riots that are shaking the country. In Bristol and Brighton, in the west of the country, in Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle, in the north, and in Oxford and Birmingham (centre), hundreds of anti-racist demonstrators demonstrated, particularly near refugee reception centres, before dispersing peacefully.

A mobilization that contrasted with the violence observed in recent days, during the anti-immigration demonstrations which led to the arrest of more than 400 people and more than 120 indictments, according to the prosecution.

In north-east London, in Wathamstow, there were several thousand of them, an AFP journalist noted. “I want to thank our communities for coming together in the capital and showing community spirit tonight,” Metropolitan Police Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Andy Valentine responded in a statement. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the work of officers on the ground. “to protect and support local communities.”

Since the beginning of the day, the police feared dozens of new racist and Islamophobic demonstrations, and possible outbreaks of violence, particularly against mosques and hotels hosting migrants. But after a week of clashes and clashes, “Anti-hate protesters clashed with thugs,” as the tabloid writes on the front page of its Thursday edition The Daily Mail.

The rallies were held under heavy police presence, despite authorities warning rioters that they would face serious consequences if they repeated the violence of recent days. Tensions have flared up sporadically, however, such as in Aldershot in southern England, where the PA reported that police had to intervene between anti-racism activists and a group of people shouting “Stop the boats”referring to migrants arriving in the UK via the English Channel on inflatable boats.

The government had announced that 6,000 additional police officers specialising in maintaining order would be deployed this week and that 567 prison places would be made available to incarcerate troublemakers, as the country has been confronted with scenes of racist violence for the past week.

Riots broke out after false information was circulated about the profile of the alleged perpetrator of a knife attack at a dance class in which three girls aged six to nine were killed in Southport, north-west. The suspect was presented as a Muslim asylum seeker. He was in fact born in Cardiff, Wales.

A Savanta poll published on Wednesday showed that 67% of Britons are worried about the rise of the far right. Another poll published by YouGov found that immigration was the main challenge facing the country for 51% of respondents, the highest level in nearly a decade.