Counter-demonstrations in British cities after days of far-right riots

After days of unrest by far-right demonstrators in the United Kingdom, counter-demonstrations dominated the streets in several cities on Wednesday night.

This is surprising, since the police had taken care of more than a hundred radical right and ultra-right demonstrations, compared to about thirty counter-demonstrations.

The police have more than 6,000 officers ready to intervene if things get out of hand. But so far the atmosphere is very friendly and the opponents do not come close to each other.

Carrying signs and banners with texts such as “There is no place for hate” and “Migrants are welcome”, demonstrators surround asylum centers and other buildings that provide services to migrants.

This will take place in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol, among others. In recent days, these places have been the target of violent rioters.

In London, almost only anti-racism demonstrators could be seen on the streets:

The reason for the protests is the riots that started a week ago after the stabbing in Southport. During a dance class, a 17-year-old boy attacked children with a knife. Three young daughters did not survive. Several children and two adults were also injured.

Based on disinformation that the perpetrator was a Muslim boat refugee, an angry mob attacked a day later a mosque in Southport Onward. In the days that followed, unrest spread to several British cities.

Demonstrators, including radical right-wing and far-right extremist groups, took to the streets to confront the police and counter-demonstrators. They also attacked mosques and shelters for asylum seekers. The British media are talking about the worst riots in the country in years.

Prime Minister Starmer promised on Monday that he would act hard and fast against rioters. There are now three men on Wednesday condemned to a prison sentence. The Public Prosecution Service reports that more than 140 people have also been charged, and that number could rise significantly.

Online platforms and social media played an important role in the riots. Many racist messages and calls of violence appear in several channels on Telegram, sometimes with thousands to tens of thousands of followers. Telegram confirmed to the BBC that they are actively trying to identify and remove these types of channels.

An influential channel with 15,000 members was taken off air on Monday, the BBC reports. The group was formed in the hours after the Southport murder and was quickly filled with misinformation about the suspect. Manuals for petrol bombs and calls for racist violence also appeared on social media.