UK: Thousands of Counter-Protesters Line Streets Amid Expected Anti-Immigrant Riots

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Facts

  • Thousands of anti-racism protestors lined the streets of several English cities on Wednesday — with some forming human shields around asylum centers and other expected hotspots — after police warned that more anti-immigration riots were planned for the evening.[1]
  • It followed a stabbing attack in the seaside town of Southport last week in which three girls were killed. Eight girls and two adults were injured. Rioting erupted after posts circulating online falsely suggested that the perpetrator of the knife attack — 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana — was a Muslim immigrant.[2]
  • Police deployed 6K riot-trained officers across the country in anticipation of violence on Wednesday. However, the threat largely did not materialize.[1]
  • Sir Mark Rowley, chief of London's Metropolitan Police, said he was 'really pleased' with how the evening played out, stating: 'We put thousands of officers on the street and I think the show of force from the police and frankly the show of unity from communities, together defeated the challenges that we've seen.'[3]
  • Nonetheless, the night was not without incident. Skirmishes were reported in the city of Blackpool and Aldershot in Hampshire. Police in Northampton said three people were arrested on public disorder offenses there, while 10 people were arrested in Croydon. An additional 15 people were arrested in the capital.[1][4]

Sources: [1]Guardian, [2]Al Jazeera, [3]LBC and [4]BBC News.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by BBC News. People came out to show that racism has no place in Britain. If it rears its ugly head, the people of this country will stand up to oppose it. Diversity is this country's strength and instead of being hated, it should be celebrated.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Breitbart. By vowing a strong response to the violence that erupted, the government is ignoring the fundamental roots of the problem. A lot of people are unhappy about the mass levels of migration to their communities and unless addressed, more eruptions of anger are likely.

Predictions