Thousands of anti-racism protesters staged demonstrations in Britain against the riots led by far right…and targeting immigrants and Muslims, following the stabbing of three girls early last week amid misleading information about the attacker.
Anti-racism protesters took to the streets of British cities across the country on Wednesday to confront violence amid reports that the far right is planning dozens of violent attacks in the country within hours.
British police sources said they were aware of plans for around 100 far-right protests and 30 counter-demonstrations across the country last night, and that thousands of police officers were ready to intervene.
Tens of thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets of Walthamstow, east London, holding banners reading: English Defence League not welcome in Walthamstow, No place for racism, Free Palestine, Hate not welcome, Anadolu Agency reported.
While a small number of right-wing extremists gathered outside a law firm in Brighton, police surrounded the right-wing extremists to prevent any tension, as the number of counter-protesters was much greater.
In Liverpool, hundreds of people formed a human shield around a church that was targeted because it is adjacent to an immigration information centre, while hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Birmingham, chanting anti-racism and pro-Palestine slogans.
On August 3, extremists took to the streets in about 20 British cities, attacking immigrant workplaces, mosques and police cars, before three other cities witnessed far-right gatherings the following day, targeting Muslims and immigrants in those cities.
The British government announced on Tuesday that 6,000 police officers were on standby to deal with the riots led by the far right, amid reports of the arrest of about 400 people.
The government has also increased its prison capacity by 600 places to deal with a week of violent anti-immigrant riots that have prompted a growing number of countries to warn their citizens of the dangers of travelling to Britain.
The mayor warned London Right-wing extremists have been warned against resorting to violence in the capital, saying in a statement on the X platform that the racist violence that began last week and spread across the country was “shocking” and that he was aware of reports that far-right groups were now planning to target places in London.
This came after an incident in which three girls were killed and others were injured. Far-right news platforms and websites claimed that the suspect was a Muslim refugee who came to the country last year and launched riots against Muslims and immigrants, while the police announced that the suspect was a 17-year-old Rwandan youth born in the Welsh capital, Cardiff.
