Thousands of police officers were deployed across Britain on Wednesday in anticipation of far-right protests turning violent after recent anti-immigrant riots. However, by late evening, the large-scale anti-immigration protests did not materialize, and only a few arrests were made.
Instead, thousands of antiracism protesters gathered in cities such as Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, and London. Some of these demonstrations took place near potential rioter targets. As the night progressed, many expressed relief that the feared widespread violence did not occur.
Over the past week, more than a dozen towns and cities in Britain saw violent unrest. This was partly incited by far-right agitators and an online disinformation campaign following a deadly knife attack on a children’s dance class in northwestern England. Much of the misinformation claimed the teenage suspect, who was born in Britain, was an asylum seeker. The BBC reported that the suspect’s parents were from Rwanda, but police have not disclosed a motive for the stabbing. Britain has strict reporting restrictions once a case is underway.
Last week and over the weekend, rioters clashed with police, set cars on fire, and targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. Far-right groups called for further protests on Wednesday night, and the police monitored at least 30 locations, including London.
With tensions high, around 6,000 specialist public-order police officers were mobilized nationwide. Authorities in several cities and towns increased patrols and granted police extended powers to arrest those suspected of intending to cause unrest.
Among the few arrests on Wednesday night, Hampshire police detained a 40-year-old man from Eastleigh in Southampton for suspected violent or threatening behavior. This followed a small anti-immigration protest that was outnumbered by counterprotesters, with police keeping the groups apart.
In Bristol, police reported one arrest after a brick and a bottle were thrown at a police vehicle. However, the demonstrations there remained largely peaceful. In Portsmouth, police dispersed a small group of anti-immigration protesters who blocked a roadway. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, where unrest had continued for at least four nights, additional officers were brought in to maintain order.
A list circulating on messaging apps and social media identified over 30 potential targets for anti-immigration protests, including businesses and charities supporting asylum seekers and refugees. Many of these places closed after the list circulated. In Liverpool, an antiracism demonstration near one such charity, Asylum Link Merseyside, took on an almost joyous tone as people gathered outside the boarded-up center. Businesses in the area also closed early, and parents were asked to pick up their children from a nearby childcare center.
On Wednesday evening, people banged drums, chanted “Fascists out!” and held signs reading “Love Not Hate” as a helicopter circled overhead. Despite the large police presence, the anti-immigration crowd did not materialize. Instead, the gathering included locals, union groups, and others condemning the recent violence in Britain.
Terry O’Brien, a 52-year-old Liverpool resident, expressed his discontent with the far-right groups. “It’s a quiet place normally, this neighborhood, and I am not happy with the far right trying to come here,” he said. “We have never had a problem with immigrants here, and people are trying to come here and bring violence.”
In Walthamstow, an ethnically diverse neighborhood in northeast London, potential far-right demonstrations prompted quick organization of a counterprotest. By late afternoon, many shops and cafes on the main street shut early, with some real estate agencies boarding up their windows and doors. By late evening, no anti-immigration demonstrations were seen, but thousands of counterprotesters filled the streets with signs reading “Refugees welcome” and “smash the far right.”
Experts monitoring the far right said the threats of violence had already caused trauma, with communities on edge for potential violence. Joe Mulhall, director of research for Hope Not Hate, noted the distress caused by the circulation of the list. “Understandably, the wide circulation of this list has caused a great deal of distress, unease, and fear,” he said. “Indeed, this list has been compiled precisely to spread these emotions within Muslim and immigrant communities.”
A snap poll by YouGov found that nearly half of Britons view right-wing extremists as a “big threat” following the week of disorder, a 15 percentage point increase in six months. However, only 18 percent of Reform UK voters, the populist anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, saw right-wing extremists as a major threat, with 21 percent expressing support for the riots.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that anyone involved in the violence would face “the full force of the law,” noting over 400 arrests since the violence began, including for crimes committed online, and around 100 people charged. “That should send a very powerful message,” he said, “to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week, and that nobody, nobody, should be involving themselves in this disorder.”
The recent unrest was driven by disinformation on social media and calls to action by far-right groups on messaging apps like Telegram. On Wednesday, Telegram said its moderators were removing channels and posts containing calls to violence, using AI tools and user reports to ensure content breaching its terms was removed.