Pensioners armed with banners lead charge against far-right thugs as plans for more violent riots are thwarted by crowds of counter-protesters

A group of defiant pensioners who brand themselves ‘Nans against Nazis’ joined anti-racism campaigners in their battle against the far-right.

Pat, 71, turned out at a gathering outside the offices of a charity which helps asylum seekers in Liverpool yesterday after suggestions it could be targeted by anti-immigrant protesters.

She was joined by other elderly demonstrators who were seen holding signs that read ‘Nans against Nazis’, ‘Merseyside Pensioners Fight Back’ and ‘When the poor blame the poor only the rich win’.

Hundreds of people took to the streets prepared to face down the far-right, with a heavy police presence for good measure, although in the end not a single member of the opposition turned up.

The offices of Asylum Link in the city had been boarded up in preparation for potential violence following a week of disorder across Britain following misinformation in the wake of the killing of three young girls in Southport.

Do you know the Nans against Nazis? Email lettice.bromovsky@mailonline.co.uk

Pat, 71, was part of the counter-protest that gathered on West Derby Road on Friday evening to oppose a planned demonstration outside the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque on August 2

The pensioner, pictured on August 2, says she has been fighting against Nazis since the 1970s and is not stopping soon

A woman holds a sign which reads ‘Refugees Welcome Here’ during a counter-demonstration outside Merseyside Immigration Centre on August 7

An elderly man with a zimmer frame holds a sign which reads ‘Give Peace A Chance’ at a counter-demonstration in Liverpool on August 7

Pat pictured at a previous counter-demonstration outside a mosque on Friday, August 2

Pat, who is a grandmother from Toxteth, has been active over the last week after taking part in counter-demonstrations organised to combat the far-right in the city.

Speaking at an earlier demonstration outside the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque last Friday, she said: ‘I’ve been doing this for years. It started with coming out against the National Front in the 1970s. We’ve got to show them we’re not afraid.

‘I’ve been told to stop coming to things like this but I won’t stop now. These people are just vicious thugs; there’s nothing political in what they’re doing.’

It comes as people in the city continue to rally around each other following the violence brought by far-right thugs over the last week.

Thousands have donated to restore Spellow Lane library in Liverpool which was destroyed on Saturday by far-right rioters.

Thugs torched the building which is used as both a library hub and a food bank.

Shocking pictures revealed the extent of damage inside the library, with bookshelves toppled over, books burnt and shards of glass smashed across the floor.

The fundraiser, which has now reached £213,334, aims to replenish the burnt books and fix the damaged space inside.

Meanwhile, a fundraiser for a carer whose car was torched during a riot in Middlesbrough in Saturday night has reached £62,265.

Brendan Nwabichie had returned from a 12-hour shift at  a local care home to discover that his car had been flipped over and torched by far-right thugs.

Spellow Lane library in Liverpool was set on fire by rioters over the weekend, sparking outrage

A fundraising page set up to replace the books and equipment which was lost inside has since raised more than £213,000

Brendan Nwabichie had his car overturned and set on fire while he was working a 12-hour shift as a care worker in Middlesbrough on Saturday

A GoFundMe to replace his vehicle, pictured burning above, has since raised more than £60,000

The 33-year-old, who is from Nigeria, had made the decision to leave his car at home after hearing of a potential riot in Middlesbrough town centre.

A GoFundMe set up by his boss to raise money to replace his car has since surged past its £3,000 target to more than £62,000.

Since the violence began more than 400 people have been arrested and over 100 charged, with the first prison sentences handed out this week.

Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson said there will be more arrests today and warned that the law will ‘come for’ those involved in inciting the riots online.

She told the BBC: ‘Over 400 people have been arrested – I’m hoping and I know that number will increase today.

‘We’ve got over 140 people charged, that number will go up as well, and we will start to see again today, more people going into court and receiving sentences.

‘And very importantly as well, I just want to make this point, it’s not just those physical acts on the street that we’re going to make sure people are brought to account for, but it’s also what’s happening online and that’s really important.

‘This week, we saw the first person being charged and convicted of what he’d done online, inciting violence, racial violence, and that is important.

‘If you do stuff online we will come for you, just as much as we will come for you for what you do on the streets of our country if you’re carrying out criminal disorder and violence.’

However, she added that intelligence has suggested more riots could take place in the next few days and she was ‘cautious’ about declaring victory.

She told Sky News: ‘It’s good that we didn’t see the level of disorder and criminality on our streets that we have in previous days, but obviously this is just the start.

‘There is now further intelligence of events during the next few days, and we need to see what happens there.’